Naruto: Gamer of Sekirei
by Yuna97
Summary: Even after three years of training, he was weak. He needed more power, one that he could call his own. His wish came true in the form of a small black box that called itself a gaming device. "...But where the hell am I?" Naruto x Small Harem
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone, this is Yuna the Ninja. I know I'm just a newbie when it comes to writing stories, but hey. Everyone's got to start somewhere, right? So I bring to you my very first story - Naruto: Gamer of Sekirei. Some parts of the story may seem a bit familiar, cuz I'm just not creative that way, but hopefully my writing style and story will improve over time. Any criticisms or advice are appreciated, just don't flame me!**

**Oh, and obviously, I don't own Naruto or Sekirei, though having one of those ladies around me would be heavenly. (I'm a girl, by the way _)**

**Anyways, onwards to the story!**

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"Of course I knew how important bonds are. And that's why I severed them. Having too many bonds causes one to lose focus, weakening their strongest wish, their greatest desire." An emotionless voice, quiet yet charismatic, echoed through the cavern.

"…If that's true… If that's true, then why… Why didn't you kill me back then!? Is that what you call severing bonds!? Sasuke!" The blond grimaced, the pain of their previous clash still fresh.

"The reason is simple." Sasuke continued, undeterred. "And it isn't that I wasn't able to sever my bonds with you. I just didn't want to give _him_ the pleasure of seeing me attain power by submitting to _his_ plans."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"There's no need for me to tell you…Still, the one thing I can say to you, is that back then…I chose to spare your life at nothing more than a whim of mine." With an unprecedented speed, Sasuke reappeared next to Naruto.

'When did he..!' Barely holding in a flinch, Naruto stared on ahead.

"Come to think of it, isn't being hokage a dream of yours? If you had the time to go around looking for me, you would have been better off training. Don't you think, Naruto?" He continued, smirking.

"And that's why this time.." Sasuke pulled his sword out in an agonizingly slow pace. "You're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine."

"…" Naruto gritted his teeth, speechless. Then he looked straight back at Sasuke, once again showing his undying determination in his eyes. "Like there's any chance someone who can't save a friend could become hokage. Don't you think?...Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked and swung down his katana toward his ex-teammate. Sai intercepted the blade, allowing the Naruto and Sakura to close in. As they were readying their respective attacks, Sasuke shot out his **Chidori Nagashi**, bringing all three teens to their knees. Tenzou shot out a branch to bind Sasuke, which he nimbly **shunshined** out of the way, onto the top of the cliff.

"Konoha…I'm through with you." Sasuke muttered as he prepared for a long sequence of hand signs. "Now things end...!"

"Now, now, no need to use _that_ jutsu here, Sasuke-kun." An eerie voice interrupted, gripping Sasuke's wrist. "We shouldn't waste any more time here. After all, there aren't that many that can hold their own with the Akatsuki members, you know."

"Oro-teme…!" Naruto growled out, standing back up. "I won't let you take him away!"

"Oh, but dear, you will." With a hand sign, Orochimaru, along with Sasuke and Kabuto, was embraced in blue fire. "Then, toodles~" And they left without a trace.

**_Flashback End_**

"Damn it..!" He punched a log – his makeshift training post – in his back yard. Only the sound of heavy thuds and occasional grunts reverberated throughout the area. 'What did I do these last three years? Training with the Gama Sennin…Pah!'He inwardly scoffed. It wasn't to say that Naruto had not improved during the training trip; it was simply that Sasuke was better: he was much faster, stronger and smarter than him, as reluctant as he was to admit. 'And had better resources, too. The only thing I had was a horny drunkard who always wondered off to brothels.'

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger once more, and summoned a ball of energy using two hands, and grinded the log to the ground. "**Rasengan**! **Rasengan**! **Rasengan**!" He roared as he repeatedly struck the ground with the famed jutsu.

'Can't even do the damned jutsu with one hand…' His bangs shaded his eyes. Nothing seemed to go well for him. The number of his precious people was only decreasing, and he was powerless to prevent it.

As the blond was pitying himself in his mind, a sparkle of light on the ground caught his eye. Just where his rasengans drilled the ground, a small black box was buried somewhat crudely.

"What the…" He approached it and carefully dug it out.

'It seems to be made of technology much more advanced than ours.' Naruto mused and admired the intricacy of the small box. He wondered what he should do for a moment, but never having been the one to think too hard, he pried open what seemed to be the lid of the box.

A quick flash came from it, soon followed by a mechanical female voice. *Configuration, beginning*

Naruto blinked. In front of him was a large screen with a green bar that seemed to fill up rather quickly.

*Rebooting in 5…4…3…2…1…*

The screen disappeared, leaving Naruto alone in his back yard.

"Oooh kayy…? I don't even want to know what happened just now…" Having half the mind to simply ignore that anything happened and walk back into his house, the young ninja smoothly put back the box in the hole on the ground. As he was about to cover it up with dirt, the box radiated with light once again.

*Error. Insufficient power to support the program. Shutting down until requirements are met.*

And with one final flash, his world blackened as a shroud of lavender surrounded him.

* * *

"Damn, what hit me?" He groggily sat up. Nothing seemed to be wrong with him save for the stiff body and ringing head. Naruto grabbed the dry ground to get a grip of himself. 'Wait…dry ground..?' The blond suddenly seemed to sober up as he started to assess the environment. The seemingly unending earth and no sign of living creature surprised him. 'Well, this sure isn't my backyard…'

*Alternative Energy source located. Recommencing game*

Naruto jumped back at the sudden emergence of the cold voice, as well as the somewhat familiar grey screen floating in front of him.

"Okay, enough! What the hell did you do to me? Where the hell am I?" The shinobi raved on. "I thought this was supposed to make me stronger, not put me in a no-man's land!"

*You have been safeguarded in a probe whist being put in an inanimate state, as it was inadvertently concluded that the technology was not developed enough to generate the necessary energy. The alien ship crash a few years ago provided the power, thus the reanimation of your body. With the sufficient resources available, you can now begin to construct yourself in a more efficient way.*

Naruto blinked.

*…*

"So…in English?" The boy had the gall to look sheepish.

*You were frozen for 3000 years, and now – year 2007 – you can begin the game. And yes, you can become _super _strong, too.*

It must have been a figment of imagination to have heard exasperation in the metallic voice.

*For more information, voice 'help'. Happy gaming.*

It was somewhat awkward hearing the detached voice say 'happy gaming'. But no matter, Naruto had more urgent things to do than to speculate on such random things.

"So…help…was it?"

The familiar screen of grey popped up in front of his face. Without flinching this time, he read the words on the sign:

**_Help:_**

_Controls  
Stats  
Missions_

"Well, that sure is brief." The teen mused. "At least it means that it's not complicated…right? Aaaand now I'm talking to myself. Great. And they say that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. I'm probably going mad now all thanks to the no-good game box thing. Grrrrr…Whatever! Controls!"

**_Controls:  
_**_You can gain access to the menu screens by simply calling for it. Once the screen is on, touch the panels to operate._

_Stats- You can view and adjust the status points here. Your body in real life will be changed to accommodate the changes here.  
Equipment- You can view what items you have on your person.  
Inventory- You can view all the items that you have gained. A space/time storage can be accessed here. Your money is also stored here.  
Skills- You can view all the jutsu and skills you have acquired here._

"Status points? What are those? So if I flick the screen back like this…" The blond gingerly pushed his fingers onto the surprisingly solid screen, and swiped it right.

**_Help:_**

_Controls  
Stats  
Missions_

"Stats. I have no friggin idea what the hell _those _are."

**_Stats:  
_**_Status points are gained through leveling up. Each level up allows you to gain 3 status points, which you will be able to invest in any of the categories you choose. Every point will boost your attributes in real life, so choose carefully in what you spend the points on. _

_Intelligence: Increases the speed of learning anything (jutsu, knowledge, mechanics)  
Speed: Increases speed (jutsu, physical, reflex)  
Strength: Increases raw power (muscle power… what else did ya' expect..?)  
Dexterity: Increases skills in performing tasks (chakra manipulation, weapons, accuracy, mechanics, cooking)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: Increases the probability of allying others or persuading them, or bedding them_

"Bedding them?! Why the hell is _that_ a stat?" Naruto coughed. "I can bet my life that ero-sennin would invest all his points on this one. Anyways, this game thing really would be helpful for training if I properly use it… And I really should stop talking to myself…" Naruto hung his head down in dejection. 'I'm not going to talk to myself anymore! I'm not going mad dammit!' The young blond shouted in his mind, though that probably inched him towards madness, not preventing it.

Going back on track, Naruto swiped the screen back to the help menu, and into the 'missions' window.

**_Missions:  
_**_Missions will be randomly given by the game mechanics. By finishing each mission, you can gain exp points varying on the mission difficulty as well as rewards. The rewards can be but not limited to items, money, or new skills._

"Well, that was-" He clamped his mouth shut. 'Well, that was rather short.' The kid's eye twitched at almost having spoken out loud again. 'Probably a good idea to check out how this game works, then' He mused. "Skills"

**_Skills:_**

_Observation (lv.1)  
Shadow clone jutsu (lv.5)  
Sexy jutsu (lv.2)  
Rasengan (lv.4)  
Henge (lv.3)  
Kawarimi (lv.2)  
Surface/water walking (lv.3)_

'Yeah.. Seems about right. It even has my own 'sexy jutsu'. But what's that observation thing? They call looking at things a skill?' Exasperated, Naruto went back to exploring his new ability. "Equipment"

**_Equipment:_**

_Senju's emerald necklace: The necklace of Hashirama Senju. It has the ability to subdue even the strongest bijuu. Dex +15  
Orange jumpsuit: An eyesore of a jumpsuit that is really orange and ugly. Something not even a hobo would wear. Str +1, Chr -10  
Basic shinobi sandal: A basic sandal for shinobi. Spd +3_

"Something is obviously wrong here! What does it mean by orange and ugly?! Orange is an awesome color dammit! But damn, minus 10 charisma? A bit harsh, isn't it?" Naruto plopped on the floor, a small raincloud hovering over his head. It was always the orange that got dissed. But he would love the color for all its worth, no matter how much the world tried to separate them.

After a while, he finally collected himself, and decided to venture a bit further. "Stats"

**_Stats:_**

_Naruto: Lv.18 (exp: 10/180)_

_(54) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 15  
Speed: 31 (+3)  
Strength: 35 (+1)  
Dexterity: 24 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 22 (-10)_

"

"What?! My total attractiveness is 12?! I'm much more handsome and awesome to be that! But if this is true…no wonder Sakura-chan never accepted my dates…" He sobbed. This was the day Naruto learned the harsh truth about himself, that he truly was a good-for-nothing eyesore. As Naruto was about to go into full-depression mode, he noticed the number of unused stat points.

"DATTEBAYO! I _knew_ I couldn't have been that useless! Haha- Beat _that_, Sasuke-teme! My powers were simply hidden where I couldn't reach!" Again, he didn't notice that he was shouting out to no one…

After a moment, Naruto stared at the screen with barely suppressed giddiness. "Should I go for strength? Or speed? Or maybe enhance my devilishly good looks?" The blond's face threatened to split with his shit-eating grin.

In the end, he compromised with himself to first focus on speed and strength. And after seeing the results, he would decide on his next moves.

Focusing back on the screen, Naruto deftly put 25 points in strength, 25 points in speed, and 4 points in charisma. His ego just could not allow his attractiveness to be rated so low. As soon as he pressed the confirm button, his body stiffened. An uncomfortable feeling washed by, then returned to its normal state.

**_Stats:_**

_Naruto: Lv.18 (exp: 10/180)_

_(0) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 15  
Speed: 56 (+3)  
Strength: 60 (+1)  
Dexterity: 24 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 26 (-10)_

All his work was done. There was nothing else left for him to do except to kick some major ass. His stomach growled. And maybe finding a place that has some good ramen…

**Meanwhile…**

In a large room that seemed like a laboratory, multiple beepings accompanied by red flashes could be heard. Several scientists glared at a computer screen, while a few others were typing away as if their fingers were on fire, trying to find the source of the error.

"Ma'am, a sudden surge in energy was located approximately 3 miles from the spaceship!" A scientist in white shouted with urgency in his voice.

"What! Could it be another Sekirei? Or an invasion?" A white haired woman muttered anxiously. "Dispatch the Disciplinary Squad! Tell them to capture the thing and bring it back alive!"

Several 'hai's were heard throughout the room, soon followed by hurried footsteps heading out the lab. The white haired woman sighed, and took out a cigar from her lab coat's pocket. "I'm not getting paid enough for this shit…" She muttered as she inhaled the smoke.

* * *

_**On the Next Chapter:**_

_"I told you, I have no idea! It's not my fault I appeared out of thin air!" He whined._

_Four pairs of eyes twitched, and a certain purplette giggled._

_The 'leader's piercing wine eyes shadowed as her hand reached for her katana._

_The moment her hands touched the sword's handle, two 'dings' sounded from the timer as it started the countdown._

_'Oh shi-'_

_Even before he was able to finish swearing in his mind, with a short and swift movement, the woman slashed in the young shinobi's direction._

* * *

**A/N: So how was it? Worth giving a few minutes of your time? This chapter was basically the prologue of the story, so it's on the short side. It will definitely get longer and have more interesting scenes in them as time passes.**

**I know I didn't bring out any of the Sekirei yet, but then I would have to write so much longer than this, so I just cut it short :P**

**But no worries- I'm planning to upload the next one in probably a day or two? So please, keep tuned!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone, I'm back - and in one day, too! ****A few of you have been asking for the members of harem. I wanted to do a small harem of 3-4 because I want to explore the relationship part a bit more thoroughly, and having too many ladies - no matter how sexy they are - make it hard to do that. Currently I'm dead set on having Matsu and Kazehana, and I'm thinking on Miya and Uzume. And as much as I adore Akitsu, I'm afraid to say that she's a bit too overused, so I decided to skip her on this one.**

**Naruto isn't going to be Godlike here, game system or no. But he won't stay stupid for long either, cuz I'm going to be doing some serious reconstruction of the kid. His persona will stay for the most part though.**

**Oh, and in the first chapter, I forgot the existence of exp in games - yeah, I know of the absurdity of this - so I edited it a little. No need to reread it though :P**

**And for reference, the approximate power of each levels are as followed:**

**Lv.1~5: Academy students  
Lv.5~15: Genin  
Lv.15~30: Chunin  
Lv.30~45: Jonin  
Lv.45~60: Anbu / Elite Jonin  
Lv.60~ : Kage**

**Naruto's current level is 18. I know that he's pretty strong at this point in the anime, but his base points are pretty much crap. He has a lot of chakra...and that's about it. All he knows is basically kage bunshin, rasengan, summoning technique and sage mode. Yeah, it's strong, but he's not much if he can't use any of these four. And I'll be changing that some time soon.**

**Sorry for the long A/N, and hope you enjoy this chapter~**

* * *

"What to do, what to do…" A blond boy muttered to himself, lying on the ground with his hands behind his head. The sky was clear today, which was becoming painfully obvious, as there was not a single cloud to watch. 'Damn, why Shikamaru bothers looking up the sky, I'll never know. It definitely isn't keeping me out of boredom.' He grumbled.

Accompanied by a bleep, a message emerged out of thin air, the window slanted to accommodate to the ninja's position.

_Mission: Survive the onslaught for two minutes_

_Reward: a shelter  
Penalty: Coma for 5 years_

"Onslaught? Not that I'm complaining, but why two minutes?" Naruto slouched up. "Maybe they're super strong like the Akatsuki?" The teen couldn't keep himself from grinning as the first battle since the inauguration of the game approached him. "I'll finally be able to find out just how much the stat change affected me." He cackled in anticipation for the upcoming battle.

As Naruto stretched his arm upwards, groaning at the unexpected stiffness of his body, he noticed a small group heading towards him at an impressive speed, leaving a vestige of smoke behind their trails.

With a ding, a small blue screen materialized in the corner of his eye. *2:00*.

'2 minutes, huh. I can do that.' The blond smirked. Even if he wasn't quite jonin material yet, he certainly had the firepower of one. Now more than ever due to the stats change. No matter how strong they were, he'd show them that he wasn't to be messed with.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" A regal woman with lavender hair approached. Four others followed behind her – three women and one man – each beautiful (or handsome, not that he cared) in their own right. All but the speaker seemed relaxed rather than battle-ready. They put a lot of trust in her, it seemed.

'Or maybe it's just that she's frickin scary that they all know that she doesn't need any help.' He guessed, which was affirmed by the woman's actions. She was now pointing a katana at him, a glint in her eyes promising pain if he didn't cooperate. Remembering that he was asked a question, Naruto decided that he should quickly speak up, lest she dismembered him.

"The name's Naruto. And I have no idea what I'm doing here, or where this is, for the matter of fact." He offered a smile that reached his eyes.

The red head with glasses seemed to study him intensely, trying to solve the enigma he was. She didn't move from her spot behind the inquirer though.

The silver haired woman seemed to deem him unworthy of her time, as her eyes were closed and her hands were fiddling with her katana. 'Hopefully she isn't too skillful with that… Ugh, who am I kidding. Knowing my luck, she's probably a master swordswoman. Great.'

He lifted his eyes from the grey haired beauty to another purple head who was somewhat swaying with….sake in her hand? For some reason, Naruto wasn't too surprised, as she reminded him of a certain old lady back home. But this one seems to have a bigger bust than her, which was pretty impressive. Not that Naruto cared. Nope, his eyes did not linger in that- 'Bad Naruto bad! Stand down, boy!'

Shaking his head, Naruto looked to her right, where the only male stood. Grey hair, well built body, a scarf on his neck, and a nodaichi by his side. He was pretty uninteresting in all. The fact that he was male didn't help either.

The boy's gaze returned to the 'leader'. She was still eyeing him carefully, checking for any hostility. "State your purpose here." She asked once again with an emotionless – but authoritative nonetheless – voice.

"I told you, I have no idea! It's not my fault I appeared out of thin air!" He whined.

Four pairs of eyes twitched, and a certain purplette giggled.

The 'leader's piercing wine colored eyes were shadowed by her bangs as her hand reached for her katana.

The moment her hands touched the sword's handle, two 'dings' sounded from the timer as it started the countdown.

'Oh shi-'

Even before he was able to finish swearing in his mind, with a short and swift movement, the woman slashed in the young shinobi's direction. The shockwave nicked his shoulder blade, though he somehow swerved out of the way in the last second.

'Thank kami I invested a lot in my speed…' He sighed inwardly. But the moment of relief did not last long, for the woman started attacking him in a flurry, alternating between short jabs and swipes. Naruto jumped, ducked and spun out of the katana's way, though the shockwaves slightly scratched his skin each time. The blond frantically looked around to formulate a plan to escape, only to be cut short by another slash aimed at his abdomen.

"Damn, she's too fast for me to rasengan her hide… So I guess I'll go with the classic then. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Ten Naruto appeared around him and scattered instantly. "I guess the right saying would be, if it ain't broken, don't fix it! Haha~"

The regal woman stopped in her track for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation. Then she raised her katana once again and swung it horizontally, popping five of the clones. And the game of cat and mouse began anew.

"Hmm. What an interesting power. Is that an unconfirmed Sekirei power? Perhaps one of duplication? Oh, the sheer possibilities one could have with that, kukukuku~" The redhead giggled creepily, motioning her hands in a rather disturbing manner.

"I wish to fight him. He seems to be more than your average human. Even for a Sekirei, he seems rather… intriguing, does he not?" The grey haired woman smiled, showing off all her teeth. "I've been itching to fight all day, you know?

"Karasuba-chan, we have to bring him back alive, you know. So unless you are willing to hold back immensely, I doubt that's a good idea. Miya-chan seems to be doing fine, anyways." The woman with glasses replied rather uneasily.

"All I have to do is leave him alive, right?" Her smile seemed to become even more bloodthirsty, if that was possible. "I'm off, then."

"My, my. It's probably best if we bring him down before she gets to him, unless we want him in pieces." The woman with dark purple hair chuckled, jumping towards the skirmish with haste.

**_Back to Naruto_**

"Damn, it's like fighting Kakashi sensei in the genin test all over again." Naruto muttered as he ducked a slash. "**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Approximately a hundred clones were created. "I'm really running out of ideas…" He glanced up at the timer. "Damn, a whole minute left, too." The lavender haired lady destroyed most his clones in one movement. Naruto himself was barely able to dodge it as he jumped high into the air. Not waiting for the blond to reach the ground, the 'leader' rushed towards him and jumped, the katana headed straight to his head.

"Miya! No!" The woman with the darker purple hair shouted.

Miya's eyes widened in shock, but the blade was already only inches away from the boy's face, its momentum unalterable. The katana sliced through as if it were cutting butter.

"Kami, praise the logs…" Came a voice far behind Miya. She blinked, and finally noticed a log cleanly cut in half, lying on the ground. She couldn't decide whether to be thankful that the boy was alive, or annoyed that he still isn't down after facing her for so long.

"You really have the lifespan of a cockroach, don't you?" The grey haired woman walked in and licked her lips sensually. "I'll be enjoying this, insect-san. Hope you can be a bit more than just a warm up."

Naruto blanched. "H-hey lady. Can't you come at me some time later?" He nervously looked upwards. 'Ugh. 50 seconds-'

The woman answered by chucking her blade at him. Unlike Miya, this one was unrestrained in her swings, slashing in full arks rather than short jabs. It didn't seem as if she was fighting seriously, but she certainly was not going easy on him.

"Hoh? You should learn to focus on your opponent during a battle, boy-" The katana grazed his cheek. "Or you'll have to face the consequences." Her blade slammed on the floor, barely missing the blond's head. Naruto jumped back, flipping through the air once and landing on all fours.

"Didn't really want to whip this out so quickly, but…" He stood up straight once more and stared defiantly at the incoming attack, both his hands by his side. "**Rasengan**!" He bellowed as the two attacks clashed, fighting for dominance. All the spectators seemed surprised at seeing the first offensive move the boy dished out. His opponent's grin seemed to return in full force, though her eyes soon widened in surprise at being pushed back. She decided that this boy would be an interesting one to keep around in the future. Of course, assuming that he survived the battle, that is.

As soon as the rasengandefused, the bloodthirsty woman regained her stance and aimed straight for his head. Naruto **Kawarimi**-ed with the sturdiest thing he found, making an escape once again. And the poor, unassuming male with a scarf around his neck had to pay the price for it. The man _flew _a few feet when the blade connected with his head. Luckily, he seemed to be alive, just sprawled on the ground, bleeding. Poor guy.

'Meh, he was a possible enemy anyway. Better him than me.'

"My, you sure are an interesting one, aren't you?" The voluptuous purple lady whispered in his ear.

'She must have been near the man when I used kawarimi**.'** he mused calmly, though not without slight surprise.

"Onee-sama will play with you this time-"

"Kazehana! I wasn't done with him. Don't touch my prey!" The grey haired woman growled threateningly.

"Mou~ But I want to have a go too~ You took him from Miya-chan too, you know?" Kazehana whined. 'Not to mention she'll probably kill him if the chance arises. Can't have her doing that, can I?' Her eyes slightly hardened as her thought wondered back to the woman.

"Fine." The grey haired one huffed. "You're lucky this time, little insect. But don't count on it the next time we clash." She turned and walked away.

Naruto let out the breath he didn't know was holding. Although a bit annoyed at the change of opponent once again, he decided that anything was better than the homicidal woman. 'Fifteen seconds left. Man, how in the world is two minutes this long?' He sighed exasperatedly.

"Let's dance, shall we?" The woman – Kazehana, her name was – spoke in a low, sultry tone. Naruto shivered.

Because Naruto was readying for another close combat battle, he was surprised to see blades of wind coming at him from afar. Just at the crucial moment, the boy's knees buckled from the constant strain, and he was hit by the wind blades straight in the abdomen. Skidding backwards, Naruto spat out a glob of blood. '10 seconds…' His eyes brimmed with determination once more. 'Like I'd back off after coming this far!'

The blond crossed his hands into a familiar sign and created five clones. "Let's go! One last attack!" He roared. All his clones jumped in the air and threw themselves in Kazehana's direction, each sporting a flying kick or punch. The purple haired beauty frowned as she dispelled them with a quick blast. "Is that the only thing you know how to do? How disappointing-" She was cut short by the sudden appearance of the original, previously hidden from view due to the smokes created from the clones. "**Rasengan**!"

Kazehana looked down in shock as her arm was grinded by the ball of energy. It was painful to see how much damage the small sphere did. Though her arm was still mostly intact, she would not be using it anytime soon, superior MBI technology or no.

Despite the successful hit Naruto managed to make, he was almost out of energy. He glanced back at the timer, and noticed that it was no longer there. Instead, a window popped out in front of his face.

_Mission accomplished: Survive the onslaught for two minutes_

_Reward: a shelter  
Exp gained: 125 exp_

"Yatta! I did it!" Naruto cheered, hands in the air. His foxy grin was back on, though the lack of energy was rather obvious. Now that the mission was over, he could probably rest, possibly in his new shelter – though he still didn't understand how he would receive the reward.

Because he was mulling over some unanswered questions in his head, he failed to notice the approaching woman with a katana in her hand.

"Heya, sorry to be a bother. But would you happen to know where a building is around-" He never got the chance to finish his question as he fell into a blissful sleep.

* * *

'Ugh, what… hit me? And… why does it feel like this is going to be a regular occurrence?' The whiskered boy shuddered. He groggily opened his eyes, to see a weird blue ceiling with lights dangling off it. 'Is…this the shelter I was offered by the game?' He carefully looked around, and noticed that there was nothing of considerable significance except for the rectangular bed. Not even a small window. 'Maybe it's a prison…?' He blinked twice. 'Is _this_ what the game thinks a shelter is?' He plopped off the bed and walked around frantically. 'Noo! I can't stay here for the rest of my life! I'm only sixteen for crying out loud! I never went on a date with a girl! Or kiss a girl! Or do erotic things with one!' The boy went down to his knees and wept anime tears. 'I'll be alone for the rest of my virgin life. Damn you game! Only if I didn't touch-'

The chain of thoughts was once again cut off when the steel door creaked open. "Um. Did I interrupt something?" A grey haired man wearing a turtleneck walked in the room. 'So the door wasn't locked…' Naruto sweat dropped.

"No. No you didn't." The shinobi stood up, trying to muster up all the dignity he had left. "I was simply…inspecting the floor." He gave a shaky smile.

"Of course you were." The man replied with a kind smile that reached his eyes. "The name's Takehito Asama, a researcher working in MBI. What's yours?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." He eyed the older man warily.

Not in the slightest bit fazed, the man kept his smile on. "Allow me to get straight to the point. What are you doing here?"

"….In all seriousness, I don't know." The scientist raised a single eyebrow. "I was knocked out one day, and the next thing I know, I wake up in this…place, wherever this is."

Silence ensued. The older man opened his eyes and studied the boy for a moment, then opened his mouth. "I believe you."

An incredulous look on his face, the boy gave a rather unintelligent reply. "…What?"

"I believe you." He smiled again. "This _is_ where the Sekirei landed, after all. So it's only slightly surprising, really."

"Sekirei? What's that?"

"Well… Sekirei are aliens that look just like humans but have superpowers. Some can wield weapons with amazing finesse and power, some simply have inhumane power and speed, some can control certain powers of nature to their will, and some can have access to an enormous amount of knowledge. There are such a variety of them that we still haven't been able to categorize them all!" Takehito paused for a moment and suddenly laughed sheepishly. "Haha… Sorry for running my mouth like that. I must have gotten excited."

Naruto sweat dropped at the sudden change of demeanor. "Um… It's alright." He smiled tentatively. "It was interesting to listen to."

"Speaking of Sekirei, did you know that the five you met earlier were Sekirei, too?"

"Huh?" Again, Naruto replied unintelligently.

Now that he thought about it, it was rather obvious that they weren't normal humans. Sure, ninjas could fight like that, but they seemed to be surprised when he used a simple **Kawarimi **and **Bunshin Jutsu**. And the way Kazehana controlled wind seemed too quick and natural for it to be a jutsu. And the power with which the two ladies wielded the katanas…Naruto shivered at the unpleasant memory.

"Are all Sekirei like that? Freakishly strong and violent, that is."

"Hmm…I guess they all differ depending on the Sekirei, just like how each human is unique." The man plopped down on the bed. "If your curiosity is somewhat sated, I'd like to ask _you_ a question now, if I may. Who…no, what _are _you?"

"Last time I checked, I was human." He said slyly. Naruto pondered if he should reveal his true identity, but then realized that he already showed almost all his moves, so it wouldn't do much but gain the mistrust of the researcher if he hid the truth. He seemed like a nice guy anyways.

"I'm also…a shinobi of Konohagakure."

The man's eyebrows rose, not expecting this type of response.

"Don't you people know of ninjas? Or samurai, even?" Naruto asked desperately. Had he come so far into the future that none of his kind was left? If so, then what purpose would he serve now?

"Well, I _know_ of ninjas and samurais. But last I checked, it was said that ninjas prospered most around three thousand years ago. Are you sure you're from this dimension?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes! The game said I moved through time, not space, dammit!" Naruto was too busy worrying about the new predicament to notice his slip of tongue.

"Travel through time…? Game?…..Uzumaki kun, could you elaborate more on this…game you are talking about?"

Naruto clamped his mouth shut at realizing his mistake, but then asked hesitantly. "Could you swear not to tell anyone of this? The fact that I'm a ninja is fine and all, but…" He avoided the man's gaze.

"Sure. I can keep a secret or two, as long as it's not too life threatening." Takehito assured the boy with a light attitude.

And so, Naruto told the man of all the events he came across due to the game, the mission and stat distribution. (**_A/N_**_: Sorry to make it so vague, but I really didn't want to write the thing again. You probably don't want to read it again either, so everything's good, right?)_

The researcher halted his report. "Uzumaki-kun. Sorry for interrupting, but you say that you invested most your points in strength and speed? You weren't planning on increasing all five categories, were you?"

"Yeah I was. What's it to ya?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the older man.

"Uzumaki-kun." A hannya mask basked in a murky aura appeared behind his smilingface. "I'm trying to help you understand and utilize the game to its fullest potential. So please refrain from speaking in such a disrespectful manner." Naruto trembled. "Understood, Uzumaki-kun?"

"Y-yes sir. Understood."

"Good." And the oppressive aura was gone, as if it never existed in the first place. "As I was saying, I believe that it would be best if you chose one or two attributes and focus on it." Naruto opened his mouth to protest, only to be halted by the other man's finger. "I know that all five look useful, but concentrating on a specific trait will get you stronger much faster. Think about it. Would you prefer to be a jack-of-all-trades or a true professional?"

The blue-eyed boy actually contemplated the idea seriously, though he really should have done so earlier on considering the things he had unwillingly sacrificed in getting the ability.

The more he mulled on it, the more he realized that Takehito was indeed correct. Even back in the Elemental Nations, shinobi would have certain specializations, whether it was genjutsu, taijutsu, or ninjutsu. Though they didn't explicitly rely on only one type, they definitely heavily favored one or two over others.

'Is this what he was talking about? Specialization?' Putting a hand on his chin, the boy sat down on the bed as well.

'I absolutely want to work on speed. Really learned the importance of that from the battle with that bastard, Sasuke. And though charisma is _really_ tempting, I could put it on hold until I'm stronger.' He recalled the previous battle and stiffened. 'Much stronger.' He nodded to himself. 'But what should I choose for the second one? I like bashing things together, but I also like throwing ninjutsu at people too…Gaah! This is giving me a headache!'

Still sitting beside him, the researcher's lips quirked slightly in amusement at the boy's predicament. "Do you want any help, Uzumaki-kun? You seem to be in quite a dilemma."

The whiskered boy jerked his head up in surprise, having completely forgotten the company he had. "Uhh…Yeah. I don't really know what I should invest on other than speed."

Takehito closed his eyes and leaned backwards. "Well, you said that you liked using jutsu, was it?" The boy nodded.

"If that's the case, I think that you should go for either dexterity or intelligence, and condition your body with your own strength. Thinking on the same line, what can be achieved by raising dexterity can be done with rigorous training as well. The hardest thing to heighten with your own power would be intelligence." He paused slightly and put on a kind smile. "And that intelligence stat of yours _is _rather lacking."

"Why you damn bastard!" Naruto's face reddened as his fists shook in anger.

"Now, now, Uzumaki-kun. I was only sharing my opinion." The hannya mask appeared behind him again. "We don't have to speak so vulgarly now, do we?"

Naruto's anger was doused immediately. Instead of the anger now, sweat was forming in every pore of his body. "N-no sir. I'll be good."

"Splendid." The pressure lifted without missing a beat. "But I was being serious in telling you to spend points on intelligence. You'd be able to pick up on things much quickly than you could now. You would be able to grow stronger in a shorter amount of time, because you'd be able to utilize the game in a more efficient manner."

"Huh. You do have a point there." Naruto drummed his fingers on the bedside and grinned. "I guess I'll try that." His grin faltered almost immediately. "Though I won't be able to do anything for a while until the next level up cuz' I used up all my points."

"Take your time, Uzumaki-kun. You are still young, no need to rush things." The man ruffled the blond's hair. Naruto huffed and looked away.

Takehito smiled for a short moment before standing back up, contorting his expressions back to neutrality. "As pleasant as it was, this wasn't why I came to see you. I came here on behalf of the president of MBI to offer you a stay here, on this island."

Naruto blinked at the sudden change of topic. Then it hit him. "Oh- This must be what the mission reward is, huh. A shelter, right? Hopefully it isn't as stuffy as this one-"

"Yes, Uzumaki-kun. You are partially correct, but if you would be a bit more patient, you could hear what the entire deal is." The researcher cut him off with a pleasant tone.

"As I was saying, you would be staying in one of the rooms provided, and you can renovate it however you want. Every meal will be prepared for you, and you are free to roam around the island as you please. If you'd like, we can even get you a trainer or any other material you might need. But we'd like you to participate in some experiments in return for all this."

Naruto bristled at that bit of information. His encounter with the snake sannin was still fresh in his mind, and he had come to find 'experiments' rather distasteful. It took his friend away, after all.

Seeing this, Takehito quickly rectified his statement. "We won't be doing anything harmful though. Call it a simple scientist's curiosity at seeing a unique specimen. In fact, you might find yourself better equipped by the end of all this."

"My friend," Naruto gritted his teeth. "Betrayed our village because some mad scientist offered him power, just like how you did to me. He was consumed by power and hatred because of this. He nearly killed me, even." His eyes narrowed at the man. "How do I know you won't do the same?"

"You won't." The man replied swiftly. "But I assure you, I have no intention of doing anything sinister." He chuckled. "If it makes you feel better, I can be the only one to lay my hand on you. No other people involved."

The blond mulled over this for a while, weighing the pros and cons. Seeing that he already trusted the older man a great deal, he shrugged.

"Fine. But only with you, got it?"

"Crystal." The man turned around. "I've been here for far too long. I'll see you around soon." He stretched, then paused. "An assistant will be coming around to show you to your room. Have a nice day, Uzumaki-kun." The door closed behind him.

Naruto flopped on the bed and looked at the bare ceiling. "Life…just might get interesting again."

* * *

_**On the next chapter: **_

_"__Aaarghhh! Make it stop make it stop MAKE IT STOPP!" _

_Desperate and willing to do anything, he slapped his face with great ferocity. And the world instantly became quiet. _

_"__Why meeee…" The blond cried anime tears, banging the floor with his fists._

* * *

**A/N: Liked it? As promised, a lot longer than the prologue chapter. **

**Next chapter, he finally interacts properly with the Sekirei. I'm still thinking on the two empty spots in the harem. So if you're interested, let me know. But remember, I like 'em mature and sexy. (Again, I'm a female...so don't scorn me for this!)**

**Read and review! Yuna the Ninja, tuning out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Took slightly longer than I thought it would take, but the update is here~ Some proper interactions with Sekirei will finally begin! Yeah...Naruto still isn't quite mature yet - I think it'll take a while longer to get there. **

**The story is dragging on longer than I thought on the Kamikura Island, but oh well. It's needed for the basic development of the characters, so deal with me, kay? **

**Also, the many reviewers seemed to take a liking towards Miya for a member of the harem, so I'll probably include her unless a whole bunch of people say otherwise. So currently, Naruto will pair with: Kazehana, Matsu, and Miya. One spot is still open, so keep voting~**

**Oh, and you all know that I don't own either Naruto or Sekirei.**

**Now onwards to the story! **

* * *

A blond boy was taking in the structure of his new dwelling. It didn't look like much, but it sure was better than the previous room he was 'confined' in. There was a single queen sized bed by the wall, and a small white desk on the other side of it. It had two drawers just underneath it, though he doubted that he would be using those any time soon.

On the left of him was a door that led to a rather luxurious bathroom with a large western tub, or so he heard from the assistant that led him here. Interesting looking bottles were placed near the tub, which he guessed were used for washing himself with. He would have to ask Takehito later. It was amazing how much changed in the three thousand years – water could be accessed with a single flick of a finger, without having to get it all the way from a river. Apparently its temperature could be controlled, too, without the use of any jutsu.

As his amazement at the advancement of technology dissipated, he noticed a small window slightly left to the white desk. Though it didn't have a spectacular view, considering the empty environment of the island, it was comforting to have a small window that allowed him a breeze of fresh air. The room he stayed in just prior to coming here was a place he never wanted to be in again.

When he turned his head to the bed, he noticed that there was a silky nightgown on it, neatly folded. It seemed comfortable to wear, so he immediately changed into it. It wasn't orange, but it was better than nothing, he compromised himself. He didn't like sleeping in nude, anyways. It made him feel too vulnerable.

The teen slumped on the bed, the day's exhaustion finally catching up to him. But whether it was because the day was too exciting or because he had many things to think about, he simply could not fall asleep. Sitting back up again, he decided to tinker with the game mechanics some more.

"Stats"

**_Stats:_**

_Naruto: Lv.18 __(exp: 135/180)_

_(0) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 15  
Speed: 56 (+3)  
Strength: 60  
Dexterity: 24 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 26_

Nothing majorly changed except for the exp points and the numbers previously in the parenthesis, he mused.

'Maybe I really should get a different clothing. I may not know how much these points affect me, but I know for a fact that having a simple nightgown that is more attractive than my normal clothes is a serious problem. (**_A/N_**_: Not really, if you're sexy in bed :P_)

'Getting back on track, I should probably do some missions or some sort and level up quickly. Though how I could get any does pose a problem.' Naruto hung his head in defeat. 'Gah! I don't care anymore! I wasn't one to plan beforehand in the first place!'

Huffing in annoyance, Naruto called up the 'skills' screen.

**_Skills:_**

_Observation (lv.1)  
Shadow clone jutsu (lv.5)  
Sexy jutsu (lv.2)  
Rasengan (lv.4)  
Henge (lv.3)  
Kawarimi (lv.2)  
Surface/water walking (lv.3)_

'How do these things even work?! What's the levels for?' Naruto pulled on his hair. 'Stupid game. Should have given me some kind of manual before throwing me into this mess.'

"_Observation_…What's this supposed to be?"

Suddenly, a few windows popped up beside him.

_A soft bed: It is a comfortable bed that heals 5% of HP and 5% of fatigue for every hour of sleep._

Naruto blinked. "Okay, so _that's_ what observation does… But this doesn't tell me anything. How the hell do I know what my HP and fatigue is?!"

With a ding, another screen popped out.

_Basic status such as HP and fatigue can be selected from the 'Setting' menu._

"Now you tell me? Jeez, thanks for the heads up, game master-san." Naruto fumed.

"Settings."

**_Settings_**

_HP bar: off  
Fatigue bar: off  
Clock: off  
Alarm: off_

"…That's it? No explanations or anything?" A tick mark grew on his head.

"Maybe if I press on it…woah!"

When he pressed '_HP bar'_, a small blue screen emerged in front of it.

_Health Points. Shows the damage you can take. When it reaches 0, you will die._

The shinobi cringed. "Well, I'm not going to be doing _that_ any time soon."

He pressed the next one.

_Fatigue points. Shows the amount of work you can endure.  
If it fills up completely, you will faint. 1% decreases for every hour of rest. _

"Okaayy…What's up with all this dying and fainting? Sheesh, the guy who made this must be a creep."

_Clock. You can see the time and date._

_Alarm. You can set an alarm to go off in your head._

Naruto sweat dropped. "I don't even know why I even pressed that. Oh well. I guess I should turn all these on?"

The boy pressed all the 'off's in quick succession, turning them into 'on's. Three new screens came into view. On the top right corner of his vision, a round antique clock told him of the time. On the bottom left of his vision, two long bars – the red HP bar half empty and the blue fatigue bar nearly full – showed him that he needed to sleep quickly.

He ignored the revelation as his curiosity peaked. "I wonder if this bar is really accurate…**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" A solid clone appeared.

"Hey clone, hit me!"

"Roger that, boss!" And without a moment of hesitation, the clone grinned sinisterly and punched the original in the stomach, hard. The red bar was shaved off slightly. Not enough to call it an obvious change, but just enough to be seen.

"Uughh… *cough* I guess the bar's pretty accurate." Taking the original's disarrayed form as a chance, the clone tried to punch him again, though it was hastily dispelled by Naruto's will.

"Damn clone…has no respect for the original…" Naruto coughed some more.

Deciding that he had enough for the day, the boy set his 'alarm' to 8 am and crawled into his new bed and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

It was a peaceful morning to all the inhabitants of the Kamikura Island. Well, to be exact, all but a certain blond teen.

"Aaarghhh! Make it stop make it stop MAKE IT STOPP!" An alarm that was louder than the screech of Sasuke's fan girls was ringing in his mind. In other words, the loudest and the most annoying thing he has ever heard.

A small screen materialized.

_Hint: To turn off the alarm, open your eyes and slap your cheek._

Desperate and willing to do anything, he slapped his face with great ferocity. And the world instantly became quiet.

"Why meeee…" The blond cried anime tears, banging the floor with his fists. The fates or whatever deity up there must have loved watching him suffer, as they intruded in his life in even the most minuscule moments like this.

After sulking for a while, Naruto stood back up to change back into his clothes, only to see it in tatters. Though he didn't notice it the previous day due to his exhaustion, the jumpsuit was ripped and shredded in so many areas that it was near impossible to put it back on. In fact, it wasn't even in one piece, he noted, seeing a piece of his sleeve on the floor.

'And I don't have any spares left, either.' Naruto thought dejectedly. Not having any other garments to wear, the boy trudged outside without changing out of his nightgown. He truly hoped that this wouldn't cause him too much embarrassment.

* * *

"I'm not lost. I am _definitely_ not lost. I'm a shinobi, and shinobi don't _do_ lost." He muttered to himself.

It was quite obvious that the blond knucklehead was lost. He was so pitifully trying to deny his lack of aptitude in being a ninja that he couldn't even form grammatically correct sentences.

"Enjoy your stay, she said. They'll provide anything I need, she said. Well, I don't see no map or guide around here, and I am _certainly _in need of it!" Naruto seethed, thinking back to the words an assistant told him as she led him to his room.

It was then when he noticed a figure walking towards him.

"Hey, lady!" He yelled as he ran over to her. "Do you happen to know where I can grab a bite?"

"My, my. Did you want to see me again that badly, foxy-kun?" The lady clad in purple giggled.

Now that Naruto got a good look at her, his eyes widened in recognition. "You're that- um...Sekirei that I fought yesterday!" His eyebrows furrowed as he racked his memory. "Kaze…hana, was it?"

"Hoh~? I don't remember introducing myself." She playfully replied, though her eyes were inspecting his every movement.

"Umm, I must have caught it when you were talking to others. Such a pretty name isn't easy to forget, after all." Naruto smiled sheepishly, reflexively rubbing the back of his neck. Kazehana simply giggled in reply. The blond looked over at the older woman to say something, and widened his eyes when he noticed her arm wrapped in a sling.

"Kami, did I do that to you? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you of all people! The others I don't really have qualm hurting, not that I could, but you were the nicest to me even in the battle. It's just that you were so strong and I needed to one-up you and I…" The wind user was somewhat shocked seeing him ramble on. It was a battle after all, and it was expected for someone to get hurt. She just got the short end of the stick because she heavily underestimated the boy. 'A fair trade for my bad habits.' She mused.

A soft smile took place on her sultry lips. The boy was more interesting than she thought he would be. "Hey, foxy-kun. It's alright. It'll heal soon enough and I'll be able to move around just fine. When I'm in a good condition, we can even _spar _together if you would like." She purred. "Though you seem to be ready for _sparring_ just fine in your current attire. Too bad I can't move around so freely, hm?"

It took a while for the knucklehead to understand the implication, but his face burned up like a chili when he did. "Um…uhh…that is…"

'Aww, look at his face. His innocence is so cute that I can just eat him up~' She giggled. 'I'll be enjoying these next few years.'

"Well, the dining room is that way." She pointed to the direction he came from. "It's the third room to the right. Can't miss it." She winked at him. "See you soon, foxy-kun~" And with a swirl of sakura petals, she left.

Naruto stood there dumbfounded for a moment. "Damn, I should really up the ante in this area, too, unless I want to become her personal chew toy." He muttered. "I mean, I _am _the student of the self proclaimed super pervert – can't be flustered by every little thing, can I?" He shook his head sideways and headed for the dining room.

* * *

"Ah- We finally meet in person, Naruto Uzumaki-kun. Though it has been slightly delayed, I welcome you to the Kamikura Island!" The white haired man opened his arms wide and laughed rather lengthily, as a villain would do in an anime for kindergarteners.

Naruto stared at the man incredulously. "…Is he always like this?"

"I'm afraid so." The woman next to him sighed. "Takami Sahashi, nice to meet you."

"Naruto Uzumaki, though you probably know that already, if his all knowing smile is anything to go by." The boy replied gruffly. It was rather unnerving to know that people who he has practically no information on already knew quite a bit about him. 'I really didn't think things through when I blabbed, didn't I…' He regretted his thoughtlessness not for the first time. He could only hope that Takehito kept his part of the promise regarding the gaming device.

"Good to see you again, Uzumaki-kun. Did you enjoy your breakfast?" Takehito asked, his seemingly ever-present smile on his face.

The blond's eye twitched in annoyance. "I would have if I weren't eating while wearing a _bathrobe_ in public. It also would have helped if people didn't stare at me the entire time I was eating."

"Ah, I was wondering about that. Why aren't you wearing proper clothing, Uzumaki-kun?" He smiled as the hannya mask appeared. "I believe that even ninjas had etiquettes three thousand years ago." The other two in the room didn't show any surprise to this bit of information, as they were already debriefed just a while ago.

Naruto started sweating bullets. "I-It's not my fault! If anything, blame the assistants, or that glasses bastard! All I could wear was my original clothes, which was barely in one piece, or _this_!" The boy pointed at Minaka. "Shove your mask on _him_, not me!" The said man only smiled and waved lightly in return, not minding the spotlight.

"Uzumaki-kun. What did I tell you about the crude language?" The man's eyes glinted even though they were closed.

"I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" He cowered.

The female researcher instinctively took a step back. "I don't think I can get used to that no matter how many times I see it."

Not reading the atmosphere, the president butted in. "Oh, how all of you seem so close to each other. Why do you not include me in the conversation? I am so greatly saddened." The man cried anime tears and raised his arm to partially hide his face for the dramatic effect.

"Are you sure this guy is sane?" Naruto's eye twitched again.

"Sadly, no." The woman replied. "But he _is_ a hell of a genius."

"Indeed he is. MBI exists because of him, you know." Takehito added.

"Takami-chan~ I knew you cared for me~!" The man with glasses jumped at her, lips puckered out for a kiss, only to be brought down with a swift whack.

Naruto choked at a sudden revelation. 'I wasn't like that when I was chasing Sakura-chan, was I?' He paled. 'Kami-sama, I think I was…No wonder she hated me when we were young!'

Takehito glanced at the shinobi. "You okay, Uzumaki-kun? You seem pale."

"I…I'm fine. Yeah. Nothing's the matter." He decided right then that he would become strong as quickly as possible, and invest his stat points on attractiveness. He really might never get a girl if he's as bad as he thought he was.

"I really should go train…as soon as possible. Can you quickly say what you called me in for?" Naruto looked at the president.

"Weelll..." He drawled out. "I just called you in to say hi." The blond grew a tick mark. "You can go now. Tah-tah~"

Naruto growled as he stomped out the room. The man's attitude drove him crazy; the only thing that kept him at bay was the fact that the genius would be able to kill him nearly instantly with only a few words to the Sekirei.

The boy may be hotheaded and impulsive, but he wasn't so foolish to think that he could defeat the Disciplinary Squad. He could tell that even yesterday, each member was holding back - even the lady with the enormous battle lust. Naruto sighed. There were just too many people in the world that he was inferior to. He would have to train like crazy to even hold a candle to them.

Too engrossed in his self-ranting, he didn't notice that both Takehito and Takami had followed him out the office.

Amused by the young one's reaction in meeting the president for the first time, the grey haired man smiled. "Uzumaki-kun, remember the deal we made yesterday? I'd like to see you in lab C-5 in the third floor at 7pm. Can you make it?"

The boy looked at the older man, somewhat surprised to see him there. But he replied in a nonchalant tone. "I guess so. I don't really have anything planned yet, so why not." He shrugged.

"Then I'll be waiting, Uzumaki-kun." The researcher lifted his hand up for a small wave and left to do his own bidding.

Takami quietly sighed and walked ahead of the young shinobi.

"I'm sorry for that back there. He can be quite the handful at times…" She paused and rectified her words. "...Almost all the time."

"Nah, it's fine lady. I feel bad for you having to stick around him for so long." Naruto flashed her a cheesy grin.

"Well, I'll give you a tour around the building to make up for the previous inhospitality." She glanced back to his choice of attire. "Actually…we should get you some clothes first."

The whiskered boy sighed and tightened the gash of the gown. "Yeah, that would be nice."

* * *

"Sorry, but it seems like this is the only type of clothing we have left." She handed him the disciplinary squad's uniform. "All the other Sekirei that are being adjusted are only babies – toddlers at most – so…"

"Hey, it's fine. The quality is much better than what I was wearing to begin with. Thanks a bunch." He inspected the black and grey garments for a moment. "Is there a place where I can change into this?"

"A bathroom is just out the door." She answered. "Take your time." The boy gave a swift nod and headed straight to the toilet.

As soon as Naruto entered, he quietly muttered to himself. "Lets see how you fair against my awesome orange clothes. Observation"

A screen materialized above the garments.

_Disciplinary Squad uniform: The uniform Sekirei in the Disciplinary Squad wear.  
It is made of high quality material and is easy to move in. Str +5, Spd +5, Chr +5_

"Oh. It _is _a lot better…" Naruto deflated. He wordlessly changed into the uniform, discarding the bathrobe in the toilet.

Takami greeted him as he exited the toilet. "Uzumaki-san, you clean up pretty nicely. Much better than the robe you were wearing just now or your previous attire." She snickered into her hand.

Though it was said in a joking manner, it was true that the blond looked much better in the uniform. The bulky orange jumpsuit was replaced with a tight black leather top with two horizontal white lines running down his chest, and the orange pants were replaced with black ones, with a grey belt loosely tied around his waist twice. A gray haori was lightly hanging off his shoulders, as he wasn't quite wearing them. (**A/N: **Basically a male version of the female Disciplinary Squad uniform)

"Why _thank you_, researcher lady. I'm very flattered." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Call me Takami."

"Sure, researcher lady." Naruto smiled, showing off all his teeth.

"It's Takami." Her teeth turned sharp as she grinned and her eyes glinted dangerously as she hovered over Naruto.

"Yes…Takami…" Naruto slumped. Why was every woman he came across extremely violent and scary?

The woman slapped the boy's back and chirped. "Let's get going then!"

* * *

As they finished the tour of the building, Naruto realized that something was amiss. The entire time they were walking and talking, not a single person passed them by.

"Hey researcher la-" She stared at him, a hard glint in her eyes. "…Takami…" The boy shrunk. How she was scarier than Tsunade despite being a mere civilian, he didn't know.

"I was wondering, why isn't there anyone walking around the halls?"

"Oh, it's because all the researchers are in labs. They _are _here for intensive research, you know. And the Disciplinary Squad usually stay in their preferred spot, so they don't move around much either." She mentioned.

A familiar ding was heard.

_Mission: Find a martial arts trainer_

_Reward: a new skill, better relationship with the trainer_

'Martial arts? There's someone who teaches that on this island?' Naruto grew silent, trying to comprehend the new mission.

"Uzumaki-san, is something the matter? You seem to be spacing out a little." The woman looked at the blond.

"Huh? Oh. I'm fine." He smiled. "Say, would you happen to know anyone that can help me train in…I don't know, martial arts?"

The researcher raised her delicate eyebrow. "Martial arts? Where'd that come from all of a sudden?"

Naruto flustered. "Um, well. I realized that I needed to work on my form a bit more from the last battle you see, so I was wondering if anyone trained those Sekirei to fight?"

"I'm sorry to say Uzumaki-san, but the Sekirei seemed to learn their respective forms instinctually. We still don't quite understand it, but they just find a liking to a certain style, and they train in it. Though that's only the case for offensive Sekirei."

Naruto sighed. '_Now_ how am I going to get a tutor? That means that the only choice I have left is…' He shivered. 'Kami, this is going to be a tiring day. Better get this over with.'

"I'll be going then. Thanks for the hospitality!" And without waiting for a reply, he ran off to the nearest exit.

"Kids these days." Takami huffed. "I sure hope that my Minato won't turn out so rude. I won't allow it to happen even if I have to beat the manners into him!"

Somewhere back in Shinto Teito, a small boy shivered as his life felt threatened somehow.

The blond shinobi now stood on the desolate grounds of the Kamikura Island, searching vehemently for a certain lavender haired woman.

'Now, how do I find the lady in such a large place?' A loud boom was accompanied by a large amount of smoke. 'I guess that answers my question…' He sweat-dropped and took off to the direction, fully taking advantage of his enhanced speed.

And as expected, a woman was practicing a kata with her weapon with fluid and elegant motions that made it look as if she were dancing. Entranced by her movements, Naruto watched her slice through the air multiple times. This soon came to a halt when the said woman finished off her kata by creating a shockwave slightly left to the boy's direction.

"What business do you have here?" Her voice rang loud and clear despite their distance. Naruto walked up to her, his eyes not once leaving hers, however intimidating they were.

"I'm here to ask you a favor." He calmly replied.

The Sekirei's eyes narrowed into slits. "Just because you are no longer an intruder does not mean that I have to show you any hospitality, nor grant you any favors."

"I know, I know." He backed off slightly, both hands facing towards her in front of his chest in an attempt to douse her anger. "It's just that, after the one sided battle yesterday, I realized how weak I was…_again_." He sighed. "I just don't want to feel that kind of helplessness again. So I was wondering…if you could teach me how to fight in hand-to-hand combat?" He smiled shakily, trying his best not to cower down from the obviously superior woman.

"No." She replied without even contemplating the thought. "I don't have time to waste on trivial things like you. I'm already wasting my time as it is, interacting with something that gains me no merit." The lavender haired woman turned on her heels and started to walk away.

"Wait!" The boy shouted to the woman. "I…I will show you that I'm not a waste of your time! I've done it countless of times before, and I'll do it again!"

Not showing any signs of having heard the blond speak, the leader of the Disciplinary Squad continued walking.

"A match!" Naruto cried. "I'll fight you and show you that I have potential!"

The woman stopped in her steps and spoke without turning to him. "You've already proven your worth yesterday, and I doubt anything will change right now. It is a complete waste of time. Train yourself if you have time to pursue such quixotic ideals." Deeming it as the end of the conversation, she resumed walking away from him.

Naruto gritted his teeth at the sudden reminder of an unpleasant memory.

_"Come to think of it, isn't being hokage a dream of yours? If you had the time to go around looking for me, you would have been better off training. Don't you think, Naruto?" _

"Damn it…!" He cursed. "I refuse to be weak any longer!" The shinobi put his enhanced speed to use once more, and sprinted towards the woman, chakra already charged at the sole of his feet. "**Rasengan**!"

Having felt the boy charge, Miya jumped into the air and flipped out of the range of attack. "Foolish boy, do you truly not understand the difference of our skills? Then allow me to demonstrate." She flicked her katana out of the sheath and swung it in a full arc. With a gigantic shockwave, deep crevices were created, redesigning the environment. Naruto shot out of the way, only for him to face another shockwave. Unable to parry this one, he summoned a **Rasengan **in hopes of softening the blow. The attack was too large and powerful, however, and he took the full brunt of the attack.

Naruto flew back quite a distance, and he was able to hold himself just barely as he skidded down on all fours. But before he was able to even stand, the woman swung her katana once again with more power and speed. Though it wasn't as strong as those that fell battleships in the invasion just a year ago, it was definitely a killing blow that would exterminate most Sekirei in one hit.

The bloodied boy fell to the ground, unmoving. Deep gashes marred his upper body diagonally, and more blood than thought humanely possible poured out to the cold floor. Though unnoticed by the blond, his HP bar was down to the red zone, and the continuous loss of blood only seemed to dwindle the remaining health points.

Miya silently turned away as her urge to mindlessly train only grew.

"W-wait…" A raspy voice pleaded. "I'm…" His arms moved to support his body. "Not…done yet" And he shakily stood back up, stumbling as he did so.

It truly was a gruesome sight to behold. His sun-kissed blond hair was now dyed red with blood, and his blood was dripping from his mouth down to his chin. His grey haori was nowhere to be seen, and his newly received uniform was torn into tatters, the remaining bits heavily soaked in blood. The gigantic diagonal gash on his torso was opened even further from moving just now.

When the young shinobi opened his eyes, he couldn't really see much. The woman was barely visible as his vision was blurry and had patches of black and white due to the lack of blood. Then he noticed the health bar blinking repeatedly. He smiled bitterly. 'Well, I'm in some deep shit now, aren't I…but…'

"Mi…ya" He took a tentative step towards her. "I'm…really going to get…stronger…so I…can protect my…precious people…" He took a step forward. 'Even if they're no longer here…' And another. "And…I will never…give up…cuz that's my nindo…it's my ninja way!" The shinobi mustered up all his strength and focus, and called up a **Rasengan**. Miya looked at him in disbelief. He started to trudge toward in the woman's direction, slowly picking up speed.

However, it was not meant to be as the ball of energy started to falter and dissipate. And with that, the boy's world darkened.

* * *

The first thing Naruto noticed when he opened his eyes was the white and unfamiliar ceiling.

'Huh, I guess that even in the future, the hospitals have white ceilings…' He mused. 'It's nice…just the way I hate it.' The boy smiled. 'It's rather nostalgic as well. Too bad I don't have the strength to escape and wreck havoc from this one…' He silently chuckled to himself.

He was out for twelve hours it seemed, as his clock pointed to 11pm. His health bar was slightly more than half full now, though he could still feel the incessant throbbing on his torso. It only got better with the bitter reminder of his abject failure. 'Well, at least I'm alive, right? Another miraculous return from the dead, it seems…'

The blond sat up on the bed, ignoring his protesting body. The moon was beaming brightly tonight, as though it was trying to console him for his defeat.

'Bah! What am I thinking, all poetic and icky. I'm Naruto fucking Uzumaki dammit! I don't _do _mushy! I'm the man who rules with his fist!' He huffed. '…Kami, the damage really must have done a number on me.' The boy shook his head in an attempt to clear his head.

'I should quickly find a mentor and get this mission over with. This battle only proves that I need to train more than ever. Seeing that it's unlikely that Miya will help me train, and Kazehana is out of commission for a while, the only options I have left would be the male, the red head and…' He paled. '…The bloodthirsty lady…' He gulped as he started to recount the possible candidates for his trainer.

He was pretty sure that the male was a good fighter, if the sword on his belt was anything to go by. The man probably dislikes him as much as Miya though, because the boy used him as a shield for the maniacal woman's attack. 'Or maybe I could pretend that I didn't do anything and ask him for assistance? He didn't seem to know what a kawarimi is…though if anyone told him of what I did, I'd be royally screwed.' The boy took a deep, shuddering breath as he thought of the possible consequences of getting caught. He would stay away from the man for a while, he decided.

'Perhaps I could go to the redhead?' He mused. The glasses wearing woman was the most mysterious one of the whole squad, to him at least. She hadn't moved much during the battles, and she didn't seem to have a single weapon on her. 'Maybe she attacks with elements?' Naruto sighed. Element users wouldn't help him much at this point, unless they were good at hand-to-hand combat, which was pretty doubtful considering that they are likely to just spam mid to long range attacks without moving much.

Then the only one left in the list was… 'Oh _hell_ no. She would definitely butcher me before I get a single tip from _her_. I'd rather learn things myself if it comes to that! I barely escaped death just now, and I have no intention of doing _that _again for a good while.' Naruto slumped back on the bed.

'I thought the game was supposed to make me stronger. How is it going to do that if all it gives me is nearly impossible missions and multiple chances to knock on death's door?' The blond seethed in frustration. Then he took in deep breaths, calming his inner turmoil. His facial expression softened into a slight look of defeat. 'Well, no point raging about it now, I guess.' He sighed for the umpteenth time that day. 'Maybe I'll go meet the glasses wearing girl, and see how it plays from there. It's not like I have any other choice, for that matter.' The boy closed his eyes in trying to sleep, but it was a while before he was able to do so.

* * *

_**On the Next Chapter:**_

_"__How about this, Uzumaki-kun. I have the information you need, and you have…the resources I want to look into." Two eyes glinted at the boy. "This is quite the fair trade, don't you think?" _

_Naruto narrowed his eyes at the person standing in front of him. He was cornered. He had nowhere else to run, no one to turn to. He had to do this, even if it meant shaking hands with the devil himself. _

_"__I'll do it."_

* * *

**A/N: The pairings polls are still up, so just pick who you want for Naruto's harem. **

**Also, I'm still only a beginner in writing fanfiction, so any criticism - no matter how harsh - is appreciated.  
I was already able to catch a few glaring flaws thanks to the previous comments, so please help me out. Thanks!**

**Yuna out-!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am baack~ **

**I've been reading some feedbacks ya' all gave me, and a lot of them were talking about Naruto being too weak. I wasn't intending for it to be that way, but it just happened...so I'm sorry, I guess. But it was necessary for the story to go on and for the relationships to build. Just wait a teensy tiny bit longer; he will be starting his training soon. **

**I also realized that his starting stats were seriously weak as shit! As bad as Lv.5 characters in a game! I ****_may_**** have forgotten that reality was mixed with the game, and that the game didn't start at the academy...my mistake :P **  
**So I changed that around, which I hope makes you happier?**

**And again, at Naruto being a tad jumpy...well...he's a jumpy guy. He's been scared shitless by a ****_lot_**** of the girls in the anime, as well as Yamato's ****_intimidating_**** faces. But again, he'll get used to the threatening, so no need to get your panties in a bunch.**

**That's pretty much it for my report with a little bit of ranting. So you don't have to hear me blab on, and get on with the story~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Sekirei. **

* * *

"I'm up! I'm up!" The boy practically sprung out of his blanket. He then proceeded to slap his right cheek, hard enough to leave it stinging for a few seconds.

'An amazing way to start an amazing day.' He thought sardonically.

He got out of the bed without any troubles, and noticed that none of his body was in pain, save for the tingling on his cheek, which he was sure that it was swollen. Moving on from the small irritation, he took his hospital gown off and ripped the bandage that was constricting his entire torso. As he looked down at his stomach, he noticed that not a single scar marred his skin, save for the star shaped one near his heart: a good bye present from his former best friend.

Shaking the melancholy thought away, Naruto went back to marveling at the speed of his healing. 'If my healing wasn't fast before, it sure as hell is now! This game really is something to be able to heal such a wound in less than a day.' He did a quick series of stretches to dissolve the clinks in his joints, and was satisfied to find out that his body was back to perfect health. The red bar was full, too, which proved that his notion was indeed correct.

On the floor by the bedside, Naruto noticed a neatly folded set of the Disciplinary Squad's uniform. 'So they didn't forget this time.' He smirked. 'I guess I won't have to walk around in hospital gown then.'

The boy quickly got rid of all the bandages on his body and changed into the new set of garments. Then he proceeded to briefly outline the day's schedule in his head. He would first eat breakfast in _proper_ clothes this time, and he would find the redheaded girl to ask for advice or possibly tutelage.

The impromptu planning stopped there. He didn't quite know where or how to find the Sekirei, and he couldn't even begin to guess as he did so with Miya. Naruto groaned, his shoulders slumping. The boy really wasn't pleased with the idea of having to waste yet another day, doing nothing constructive. A single day doing nothing was a whole day of training lost. And he really needed training right now. Training that he wouldn't be able start until he finished the damned mission.

So he was back to square one, unless someone could point in her direction. 'Maybe I could ask Takehito about her? He said he'd be waiting…in…lab C-3…' Naruto paled. He had completely forgotten about the meeting with the researcher last night. Needless to say, he couldn't have gone there even if he hadn't forgotten due to his unpleasant physical condition. And this would have been a good enough reason to most people for forgoing a meeting. Takehito was not 'most people', though.

'Forget the previous plans! If I don't apologize to him _now_, who knows what he'll do to me!'

The young shinobi hastily grabbed his haori and ran out of the clinic, slamming the door behind him. He swerved left and darted down the hallway, only to realize that he was going in the wrong direction and made a U-turn, scurrying off in the opposite direction.

* * *

The door to a certain lab opened slowly and silently, and a tuft of blond hair poked out of the small gap. A foot clad in shinobi sandals slid in next, which was soon followed by a head, frantically looking for any sign of people in the lab. When he came to the conclusion that no one was here, he let out a breath he was holding, and walked in confidently.

The room was nothing like he'd ever seen. There were large containers filled with green liquid and some bizarre looking machinery lined up on the floor. Dozens of pipes were connecting who knows what, and lights around the area were flashing in random intervals. On the walls, many bottles and flasks that had different things contained in it were placed on a metal shelf. He didn't really want to know any specifics, but they sure were fascinating to observe.

In the middle of the room, a dim light was shining on a single, large desk. The desk wasn't very notable in itself, but the state of it was. There were several thick books sprawled open on the side of the desk, and dozens, perhaps hundreds of paper lying disarrayed on the table. Beside the desk was a small pile of wrappers and food containers that were stacked up in an unstable manner.

'This place is dirtier than my room back in Konoha! And that's really saying something considering that I'm not one to clean that often.' The boy mused. "Who would've thought that Takehito was such a messy person?" He spoke out his thoughts as he snickered to himself.

All of a sudden, the door behind him closed with a slam. The blond turned his head at such a speed that would have cracked his neck. Holding his breath, he inspected the area. Nothing was out of place save for the closed door. His eyes searched the area, more urgently this time, but nothing came into his vision. Naruto tentatively took a few steps back, though his body was stiffening from the unknown danger.

'There are no such things as ghosts, there are no such things as ghosts…Who am I kidding! Of course there are ghosts! And I won't be able to hit them even if they attack me!' The boy's breaths started to get shorter, almost nearing the state of hyperventilation now. So when a ghastly face silently appeared right beside his shoulder, he did the only logical thing, and screamed like an eight-year-old girl as he sprinted to a corner of the lab.

"Ara? I didn't know you were so afraid of the dark, Uzumaki-kun. I thought that ninjas were supposed to work at nighttime?" The now identified Takehito spoke in a calm voice, though mirth was evident in his tone.

"T-Takehito, it's only you. A-and I'm not afraid of the dark! It's…only human to be afraid of things that they cannot touch, like ghosts for instance…" The boy attempted and failed to defend himself.

"Well, I can't say I'm sorry for scaring you. After all, it isn't nice to talk bad behind someone's back, you know." The man said, referring to the blond's previous comment on his messiness.

Naruto scuffled his feet. "I'm sorry, I guess. I didn't really mean to, cuz what I really wanted to do was apologize for not coming here last night."

Takehito raised his eyebrow. It was rather surprising to see the boy ask for forgiveness on his own accord, without threatening of any sort.

"Why would you apologize to me? You couldn't help that you were unconscious at that time." The man softly told him. Naruto's eyes widened at the man's unexpected kindness.

"Though it _was_ your fault that you picked a fight with a woman whose capabilities far surpass your own." The boy cringed. "As well as the fact that you nearly killed yourself for not backing down." He cringed again as the man's harsh words pierced the shinobi as a kunai would. Casting his eyes on the floor, he readied himself for the next verbal blow.

"But I'm glad that you came back breathing." Naruto lifted his head to look at the researcher's eyes. They seemed truly genuine and glad that he had returned. Takehito smiled at the boy.

"…You are a specimen I'd _love_ to experiment on, after all." Naruto stiffened. He'd take back what he said to the man. He was evil, a devil incarnate wearing a sheep's skin!

Not in the slightest bit fazed by the boy's reaction, he carried on speaking. "With that amazing healing ability of yours, I'd be able to do many, many things to you, and you'd be able to jump straight up no matter what I throw at you…huhuhu…" Ominous lights sparkled from his eyes as he rubbed his hands together.

'What…what is he doing…? Did he trick me into thinking that he was a nice person to extract information from me and lower my guard around him? Damn, I've got to get out of here…!'

As Naruto panicked and readied himself to run for it, Takehito chuckled softly, his usual expressions returning on his visage. "I'm sorry Uzumaki-kun, but I just couldn't forego the chance. It was hilarious, even if you won't admit."

"…That was uncalled for." Naruto crossed his hands over his chest, annoyance and a slight bit of fear still in his eyes.

The man's expression changed from that of joviality to that of seriousness. "But you really have to learn not to overestimate and kill yourself out there. I was really worried when you came back in such a state." He spoke softly. The boy only nodded in response.

"So, are you fully healed now?" A nod. "Then can I run a quick scan on you? I want to check out your body status as well as some other things I've wanted to look into."

Naruto looked at the man again. "It's about the 'experiments' from before, right? Better get this over with…" He grumbled. "But don't do that evil mad scientist act again, alright? It seriously gives me the creeps." He moved his eyes elsewhere, thinking about a certain snake sannin.

"Of course, it was only meant to be a whimsical joke in the first place. Now, come this way." The researcher led Naruto to something that looked akin to a grey clinic bed with an intimidating machine standing beside it. "Lie down here, please." He smiled.

"Um, okay." Naruto replied, a bit uncertain now.

"Now if you would stay still…" The grey haired researcher took out multiple patches all with wires attached to them, and stuck them on seemingly random places on the boy's face and body. His eyes glinted as he took out a gigantic syringe. A syringe that would take even Miya out for a good while. "Good night, Uzumaki-kun." The last thing the boy could feel before blackening out was a needle piercing his ass.

* * *

Naruto awoke with a numbing sensation all over his body. 'Kami, why do I faint so much on this island? I probably lost more consciousness here than the rest of my life combined.' He sat up and looked around the room. Takehito was by a desk not too far away from him, furiously scribbling down while muttering something. Freaky.

Seeing as the weird patches were still on his arms, he deduced that they were still all over his body. He would have to interrupt the researcher from his mutterings. He _was_ getting itchy and uncomfortable, after all.

"Hey, Takehito! Mind if I take these off?" He called for the man. The said man jerked up in surprise, and glanced at his watch.

He scribbled something on his paper as he replied. "Sure, go ahead."

Naruto plucked the visible ones off his arms and legs first, as well as his his face and torso, and then proceeded to let his hands wonder his own body as he searched for others. Two were on his back, one on the back of his neck, and one at the back of his shoulder.

As the boy was finishing off, Takehito approached him, holding a thick compilation of paper. "You sure woke up much earlier than I expected. I thought it would last at least five hours, even considering your…ability. This was the strongest anesthetics we have on this island, which is saying something because it even works on the Disciplinary Squad members, including Miya." The man seemed to be impressed.

Naruto didn't quite see much significance there, so he simply shrugged. "So, find anything interesting?"

"Oh, yes." His tone changed to that of an excited child's. "You aren't quite similar to the Sekirei as I've expected. There is a core of energy a bit above your stomach, but it seems to be more developed than the Sekirei core somehow. And more potent, too." The man looked at Naruto. "Not only that, but you seem to have two different types of energy in your body, which confused me a little. One was almost dormant in your stomach, while the other one was circulating through your entire body. I'm going have to research this a bit further…" He scribbled on the paper he was holding, and started to mutter to himself again.

Though a bit disturbed by the man's behavior, the boy was taken aback by the accuracy of the analysis. These people of the future really were amazing, to be able to do such things without the help of bloodlines such as the Byakugan. Not that he cared for the specifics. He had better things to do, like training.

"Hey, so are you satisfied now?" The man stopped mid-rant and looked up with a curious glance. "Cuz I have some questions I want to ask you too. It's quite…urgent."

"Hm, what are they?" He asked.

"Well, remember the 'missions' I told you about?" The man nodded. "I got a new one yesterday." Naruto shifted his position to directly look at Takehito. "It told me to get a martial arts teacher. I thought it was easy enough at first, but there seems to be no martial artist other than Sekirei here."

The man interrupted him mid-speech. "Is that why you fought Miya yesterday? Strange, she usually isn't the type to instigate any fights, no matter how violent she seems."

"Well, partly." Naruto admitted. "But that wasn't really the reason for our fight. I…was a bit pissed at her attitude…and I may have attacked her first…" He smiled sheepishly.

"Ah. That explains it." The man said. "Well, you'd have to excuse her, Uzumaki-kun. She isn't one for expressing her feelings. Miya was entrusted with a serious responsibility since she was young, so she's not quite like the others." He explained.

"Though it was interesting how she seemed to be distressed when she brought you in…" The man muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Naruto questioned, having missed what the man said to himself.

"It's nothing, just an interesting speculation of mine." He smiled.

The boy looked at him weirdly, then continued pouring out his ruminations. "Anyways, I don't know…I don't know what to do anymore. Kazehana seemed nice enough, but she probably wouldn't be able to help me even if she wasn't hurt. And that bloodthirsty one promised that she'd kill me the next time we meet. I used the male one as a shield and made him pass out. I doubt that he'll enjoy my presence around him." He listed all the Sekirei he knew. "Miya is friggin disinterested in me, and would not give me a second of her time. So the only conclusion I came up with was that I need to meet that red headed girl with the glasses."

Naruto sighed. "But I haven't a clue where she is, what she does, and what she's like. I'm at a dead end here. So could you help me out a little, please?" He pleaded.

"Hmm…" The man looked contemplative as he turned around. "All I could tell you at this point is that Matsu, the red haired girl you were talking about, is an intelligent type Sekirei. So she probably can't help much with the physical department if you're searching for a hand-on-approach kind of teacher."

Takehito stopped for a moment to think if he missed anything. Remembering a crucial point to his argument, he slapped his fist onto his palm. "Oh, and for fair warning, she only acts and cares for things she finds interesting. So if you aren't able to catch her attention, your chance of having a civil conversation with her will be terminated." He paused. "And that's all I can tell you."

"W-wait, what do you mean by that's all you can tell me? You can spare some things that can be useful, can't you?!" Naruto asked frantically.

The man turned and faced the shinobi again. "Well, I _can_ tell you. But I won't. It is their personal information we're talking about." He smiled.

"I'm afraid I won't be helping you in this aspect unless you have anything of equal value to offer. I can't spoon-feed you all the time, after all. Otherwise, you can try the old fashioned way of trial-and-error until the girl accepts you." The man said off-handedly.

"Why you...! I've already told you a lot about myself, didn't I? What else do you want to extract out of me?!" He almost yelled in frustration.

Takehito tapped his chin in mock thinking. "Hmm...I won't ask for much. You really seem to need the information on the entire Disciplinary Squad to save the time you've already lost so much of..." Naruto winced at the reminder.

"All I ask from you is to participate in some of the more...daring experiments dealing with your energy source."

"You mean...my chakra?" Naruto inquired. "That's rather risky, isn't it? Especially in the hands of someone who barely knows about shinobi..."

"You shouldn't have to worry too much about it though." The man intervened in his rebuttal. "Our technology developed a great deal in three thousand years. It can do the things you never would have imagined."

Naruto still looked skeptical.

"Think about it this way, Uzumaki-kun. I have the information you need, and you have…the resources I want to look into." Two eyes glinted at the boy. "All I'm asking for is permission to go a little deeper than we previously agreed we would. This is quite the fair trade, don't you think?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the person standing in front of him. He was cornered. He had nowhere else to run, no one to turn to. He had to do this, even if it meant shaking hands with the devil himself - as long as his body and soul was safe, of course.

"Fine. I'll do it. Just don't cripple my body." He sighed.

"Splendid." The older man clasped his hands together and smiled.

"Now, the information?" Naruto placed his hand out, gesturing to give it to him.

"Impatient, are we?" Takehito chuckled.

The boy growled back. "The only reason I'm offering my body to you is because of time." He went over his words. "Kami, that sounded so wrong in so many ways..." He face palmed.

"Ah, it's good to be young..." Takehito crooned. Naruto glared. "Just sit here and wait. It won't take long." The man stated and left the room, leaving the blond to himself.

Truth to be said, Naruto wasn't too worried about the turn of events, no matter how risky tinkering with chakra and its core can be, he was sure that the game system wouldn't allow anything to be too threatening. If worst came to worst, the kyuubi would probably be able to do something about it, though he didn't quite want to resort to using the fox's power.

What he _was _concerned with was how much he would change in the time he stayed on the island. Now that the shinobi world was gone, he couldn't become hokage anymore. And since all his friends and precious people weren't here, he wasn't able to socialize and play the fool, making them laugh at the stupidity of his actions.

The boy's eyes hardened. He didn't have any life-long goal in his mind but to get stronger than those Sekirei, and Sasuke by default.

He was afraid. Afraid that he would turn into a narrow minded fool who cares for nothing other than gaining power. He knew thatthe only reason he did not go crazy in the first place was because he had his precious people. Now…now that they are no longer here, he would be more susceptible to hatred than he has ever been.

His brooding was cut short by the opening of the lab door, which Naruto was thankful for. He didn't need any more negative thoughts.

True to his words, Takehito only took a short while to return. "Here you go, the profile of the Disciplinary Squad members." The man handed the stapled pile of paper to Naruto. "I hope you can use it to its fullest potential." He smiled.

The blond glanced at the profile, before calling out and putting it in his inventory. He didn't want to explain what he was doing with this kind of information when he bumped into anyone in the corridors.

Takehito's eyes widened at the boy's nonchalant use of a time/space storage. "I'd love to get my hands that...all the possible experiments I could try..." He darkly muttered about a pearl necklace on pigs, which Naruto promptly decided to ignore.

"I'll be going, then." Naruto stood up and started for the door.

"Don't forget the weekly meetings here on Wednesdays!" Takehito called back.

The blond merely raised his hand as an affirmative.

* * *

Three short knocks alerted the Sekirei of his presence.

"Scuse me." Naruto spoke as he let himself in the auxiliary control room. It was a small room with many screens with different rooms and hallways portrayed in them. What truly surprised him was that some of them had what looked like people moving in them.

Dazed by the mind-blowing discovery, he temporarily forgot the main reason he came to this room.

"I've been expecting you..." He didn't show any response to the girl. Instead, he seemed to be closing in to the screens.

"Ahem!" The girl cleared her throat. This finally caught Naruto's attention, as he turned his head to meet her eyes. His eyes held a slight amount of shock at seeing the girl and a bit of embarrassment for forgetting about her, though he quickly hid it so that she wouldn't notice.

Naruto opened his mouth to offer an apology, but the girl beat him to it.

"I've been expecting you, Naruto Uzumaki." She smiled as if she hadn't just said the same corny lines twice.

"Uh, okay." Came the intelligent reply from the blond.

The redhead's glasses glinted. "Naruto Uzumaki, approximated to be 16 years old. Is 166cm tall, weighs 50.9kg, blood type: B. Suddenly appeared in the middle of Kamikura Island in June 7th 2007. Is not yet identified whether his home planet is Earth, but is definitely not of the current world. Occupation…shinobi." She readjusted her glasses as she said the last part. And by the way she was looking at him, she was obviously expecting him be astonished by her ability to collect information.

Naruto raised his eyebrow in mock surprise. "You certainly are well informed." Then he smirked. "But two can play at that game, No.2 Matsu."

He inhaled slightly, and began listing what he had read just prior to coming to this room. "Matsu, Sekirei number 2. A 'brain-type' Sekirei, and has ability that can access electronic devices in a telepathic manner. Height: 161cm, weight: 47kg. Three sizes: 95-58-91." He smirked at the sight of Matsu's stunned face. "Hobbies: watching anime and soap opera, but seems to take a special liking towards R-rated ones. On a side note, you wear glasses even though you're a Sekirei because a slight accident occurred during your adjustment." He paused. "That is all." And gave her a victorious smile.

She blinked, unable to comprehend that her plan to greet and overawe the boy was sabotaged by none other than the boy himself. "Well, you're certainly a _lot _more interesting than I first thought you'd be…"

Naruto grinned once again. "Why thank you. Naruto Uzumaki, at your service, ma'am." He bowed to her dramatically. He was satisfied to get the intended effect when the girl giggled.

"Though I'd love to chitchat, I'm not really here for that today." He stood up straight again, showing that he was now being serious. "I've come here to ask you a favor, Matsu."

The girl was intrigued once by his sudden change of character, and twice by his lack of honorifics for her. "I'm listening."

"Though it embarrasses me to admit it, I am in need of more training, especially in the physical department. And I've been searching all over the island for a possible martial arts trainer, but I haven't been able to find one yet." His cerulean eyes met her red ones.

"I know that you probably won't be…willing to teach me using hands-on approach. But I was wondering if you could help me with finding a form that suits me and supervise my katas once in a while?"

The redhead seemed to consider it for a moment. "What's in it for Matsu?"

"H-huh?" The blond was taken aback at the unexpected question. He hadn't seriously thought that far.

"What's in it for Matsu? Matsu doesn't do random deeds for free. Matsu has better things to do with her life." She crossed her hands under her generous bust.

"Well, um…I don't really have anything on me right now except for my body…though I guess I could entertain you, in some way?"

Now he was just throwing random things at her. But she didn't mind, _no_. In fact, what she heard just now pleased her to a great deal that her eyes twinkled with glee.

"Your body…? Entertain…? Kukukukuku~" She started laughing creepily, with a slight drool hanging off her mouth.

Naruto took a step back. He didn't really like that laugh of hers.

"L-let Matsu…experiment with your body!" She exclaimed. The drool was still in place, and her hands were moving as if they were trying to grab something.

"Experiment?" The boy's face twisted in distaste. "I am willing to do many things, but _that _is not one of them." He already had enough on his plate with Takehito tinkering with his body, after all.

"But Naru-tan, the sticky substance will make you feel sooo good~" She whined, misinterpreting Naruto's distaste for _real _experiments for the _experiments_ she were talking about.

"No means no, Matsu. I have my morals and ideals, and I wish to stick to them as much as I can." Takehito was a special case, Naruto told himself. He literally had no other choice. But the girl, he would resist. Especially if he could do something else to compensate for the favor.

The redhead looked downtrodden. "Fine, Matsu will comply to Naru-tan's wishes. However." She raised a finger. "Naru-tan will grant Matsu a wish, too. Matsu will not ask for one right now, but Naru-tan will have to do whatever Matsu wants him to do later!" She looked satisfied with herself.

The proposal came as a relief to the blond, as he believed it was reasonable. It was a plus that he didn't have to deal with it right now. Naruto brought his hand out for a shake. "Deal!"

Matsu smiled at him and grabbed his hand. Naruto happily shook it with great vigor. It was a great moment for the shinobi. He was finally able to get a Sekirei to help him learn a martial arts style.

Matsu was having her own moment of delight. She hadn't touched such a warm hand in a long time. His durable grip on her hand was heartwarming. So she slightly frowned when the shake ended so quickly.

"So how do we do this?" Naruto inquired.

The girl seemed to me in thought, as she went into a thinking position. "Well, the best route to do this is to find the arts that are best suited for your body type and fighting style." She paused for a moment. "I guess that I could somewhat teach you the katas, but it would be best if you changed the forms around to make them fit you better, or incorporate those _special _moves better."

Naruto blinked at such a concise answer. "I guess…that would work. That would work really well." He nodded to himself slowly.

The redhead drew a V sign and smiled. "Of course it would. It's Matsu's plan after all." The boy smiled in return.

"But Matsu will need some time to search for the different arts. Still, it won't take too long because Matsu already finished analyzing Naru-kun's fighting style the first day we fought."

"That _is _amazing, Matsu! You're quite the Sekirei, aren't you." He exclaimed.

"Y-yeah." The girl only blushed in embarrassment at his explicit praise.

She then pushed her glasses up and asked. "So shall we meet every day starting tomorrow?"

"I guess?" Naruto tilted his head to the left. "That probably would be the best."

"Understood." She turned her chair to face the screens again and started tapping a board. Naruto sighed. He really needed to catch up to the modern technology, lest he look like a fool. A _bigger_ fool.

Though her eyes were still on the screen, Matsu seemed to detect the boy's distress. "Is something the matter, Naru-tan?"

"N-nothing!" He shook his hands. "If you're busy now, I'd better get going."

The girl stopped typing and turned her chair halfway to glance at him once again. "You…don't have to leave you know. Matsu doesn't mind you watching her work." She replied shyly.

"No. It's fine. I don't seem to be of any help here." He responded almost immediately.

Matsu pouted. "Mou~ You could have at least given it some thought."

It was Naruto's turn to look sheepish. "Sorry. But I just thought that lounging about was not the best way to use my time."

He continued. "I have some material I wanted to look over too, so..."

"Yeah, yeah. Matsu can understand when she's not wanted."

"That's not what I mea-"

She cut him off and poked her tongue out. "I know. Teehee~l" Naruto drooped his head in part relief and part exasperation.

"Just make sure you get here by two after lunch." She told him in a jovial tone.

"Sure thing, Matsu-chan!" He gave her his foxy grin, not realizing his change in honorifics. Then he swiftly closed the door behind him, leaving a flabbergasted girl behind.

"Matsu-chan, huh. No one's called me that before." She fiddled her hands. "I think I like the sound of that."

* * *

**On the Next Chapter:**

_"__As embarrassing as it is to admit, I have contemplated hard and long on what you have told me that day. And…" _

_Her hands gingerly touched Naruto's chin and guided it to face her. "I want to know…what drives you so." She stared at him intensely again. _

_"__If I agreed to train you, would you be willing to teach me?"_

* * *

**A/N: Aaand~ there it is. I wanted to upload a bit more, but then I noticed that I'd have to write like 2000 more words...which I haven't even started on...**

**So in the battle of speed vs quantity, speed won out and I just updated this much. Hope ya don't mind.**

**And stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Ja ne~~ **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating for a week! I was ambushed by a whole lot of academic work, though I know that it's not a good excuse to use...**

**So in hopes of appeasing my readers, I wrote more than I did for any previous chapter. And it took a mighty long time, too. **

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Sekirei**

* * *

Naruto was walking down the hallway at a leisurely pace, with both hands behind his head. He was very satisfied with himself today. It was barely noon and he had already got himself a body check, the Disciplinary Squad's profile and a martial arts teacher.

Though he couldn't shake off the feeling that he's forgotten something. 'Oh well, I'll get to it when it happens. It's probably nothing too serious.' He shrugged.

Just as he was about to turn a corner, he saw a lavender haired woman leaning on the wall right next to his room's door. Her eyes were closed and her arms were crossed. She seemed to be in deep thought.

'But why is she inside the building and not training? Or specifically, why is she in front of my room?'

The young shinobi cautiously approached the woman. Before he was able to announce his presence, Miya snapped open her eyes and stared into his azure ones. She was at a loss for words for a short while, though she shook herself out of trance and was able to briskly straighten herself with much dignity.

"Uzumaki…san. I came here to apologize for my behavior the previous afternoon." She started, her steady gaze still not leaving his eyes.

Naruto on the other hand, widened his eyes in surprise at the unexpected apology, and looked at anywhere but her eyes the moment he felt her eyes staring into his.

"As embarrassing as it is to admit, I have contemplated hard and long on what you have told me that day. And…"

Her hands gingerly touched Naruto's chin and guided it to face her. "I want to know…what drives you so." She stared at him intensely again.

"Takehito-san told me to live my life, to find the joy of companionship, but I still do not quite understand what that means." She paused slightly and looked away. "I did not care to adhere to his advice…until yesterday. Now I can not help but wonder what it would be like to feel those…emotions."

"If I agreed to train you, would you be willing to teach me?" She inquired, her hand still on his chin.

"Wh-what?!" Naruto couldn't believe his ears. This was the woman, who not too long ago - only a day ago in fact - almost killed him for asking her a favor. She was the same woman who treated him unworthy of even speaking to her. And now she suddenly wanted to train him? Either that he must have overlooked some real critical point, or she was a bipolar crazy bitch.

'Hopefully it's the former…' He mused. Of course, he didn't realize that his famous **Talk no Jutsu**, that was used to change Zabuza, Neji, Gaara and Tsunade, had been activated.

"Uzumaki-san." It sounded as if the woman was almost pleading him, although her voice was still emotionless.

'She's serious about this…' Naruto noticed.

"Okay. I'll help you, though I'm not sure what exactly I can do. But you have to help me train, too. Alright?" The blond offered her his hand.

It was Miya's turn to be surprised. Even if he was the one to ask her to train in the first place, she didn't think he'd accept her offer so easily, especially after what she'd done to him. 'He's…more interesting than I had originally thought…'

"Hey, don't leave me hanging." He whined playfully. Miya only blinked in confusion at his gesture.

Naruto sighed dramatically, shaking his head and slumping his shoulders. "It's what people do when they make an agreement. You shake their hand and smile." The boy took her hand and shook it vigorously. "Like this. Kay?" She nodded in silence.

When the handshake was adjourned, Naruto had to force himself to keep calm as a screen emerged in front of his face, exactly mid-way between the two's faces. She didn't seem to notice anything, though.

_Mission Accomplished: Find a martial arts trainer_

_Reward: Beginner's guide to wind manipulation, increased relationship with Miya  
Hidden Bonus Reward: Double Chakra Daggers  
Exp gained: 150 exp_

Another screen followed, materializing slightly in front of the first.

_Level Up!  
Lv.18 -__ Lv.19_

Naruto didn't know how he should respond to the sudden appearance of the screens. He was happy to have finally finished the prolonged mission and to have leveled up, but now of all times…not so much. Especially not when Miya was staring at him. Although he really wanted to check out new rewards, now was not the time. He would think about it later, when he was alone and didn't look like a mentally ill person who could see things others couldn't.

The shinobi raised his hand and pressed the 'close' button. To Miya, however, it seemed like Naruto was pointing at her for no reason. She raised her delicate eyebrow at the boy.

"Is this another of you humans' gestures?" She looked at him inquisitively, her head slightly cocked to the side. It would have been very cute had it not been for her emotionless façade.

"Ummm…no. That was just me being weird." He sweat-dropped. Luckily she didn't think too much of his actions. Though it was a bit disturbing that she was now nodding as if that explained everything. He wasn't that bad, was he?

"If you don't have anything else to do here, we should go outside and begin training." Miya suddenly declared.

"Right now?" The blond was startled by the sudden change in subject. "Not that I'm complaining!" He quickly rectified his stance, lest the woman deemed him unworthy of being her disciple again.

"Actually..." Naruto quickly glanced at his 'inner clock'. "Isn't it almost time to have lunch?"

Miya pondered for a moment. "We shall take our lunch and eat it outside after the training is finished. It is most inefficient to train after eating, after all." She offered.

"Okay!" The boy chirped. "Let's go to the cafeteria then!"

The two turned back the way Naruto came from, heading towards the dining room at a leisurely pace. Neither spoke, as both basked in the pleasantness of the silence.

Miya walked as she usually did, with precision and confidence in her steps. But her normally stoic face had a hint of relief…or was it happiness? He couldn't really tell, but she was in a happier mood than all the other times he'd seen her.

Naruto himself was in good spirits, as it was plainly shown on his content smile. How could he not be? Now that he'd cleared all the obstacles, all he had left was to train his ass off. And since that wasn't as mentally or emotionally exhausting as everything he had to do until now, he would be able to get a semblance of peace for at least the next few weeks or so.

And unlike with his previous teachers, Miya would teach him professionally, guiding him through his movements and teaching with professionalism. It was just in her nature to do things flawlessly and thoroughly, even if she disliked her mission. Ultimately, he would be able to come out with vastly improved taijutsu and physical constitutions.

Though for what reason he was training for, he still hadn't come to a conclusion yet…

He came to a halt to his musing when he realized that they were already in front of the dining hall. Following Miya closely to the counter, Naruto looked up at the menu. Nothing seemed to be truly appealing for the boy, despite the variety of high-quality food, as ramen wasn't in the long list. He still could not believe that ramen, the food of the gods, wasn't cooked here just because it didn't have enough 'nutritious value'. Ramen was plenty nutritious, thank you. He ate the thing almost his entire life, and look how awesome he turned out!

Cutting back on the rant, the blond decided that he should choose his meal now, if the glare of the lady behind the counter was anything to go by. He kept the order simple: a few onigiri, several sandwiches and a lot of meat. He was training after all, and the boy had no doubt that he was going to need a lot of nourishment if he was going to train with Miya as the supervisor.

"Here are your orders." Came a voice in front of the counter. It didn't take long for the woman to prepare their orders, as they were already made and stored. Miya took hers silently and walked towards the exit, while Naruto muttered a thanks as he grabbed his lunch and went after the lavender haired woman.

* * *

"Haaaaaaahh!" A male's yell was heard throughout the desolate land.

"Again!" A cold, succinct female voice commanded.

"Haaaahh!"

"Again!"

The two were training in the middle of nowhere, where nothing but dirt spread for a few miles radius. Not a single tree, a patch of grass, or a small animal was visible in this area, which made it a perfect place for them to train in.

"Again!" Miya ordered the boy again. True to her character, the woman was unrelenting when it came to training. For the past few hours since they've arrived Naruto had been doing nothing but trying to hit her with his fists. He was forbidden from using any of his jutsu, especially his **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, to attack her. And so far, he was failing to land a single hit on the woman.

"Your form isn't too sloppy, but you're wasting too much of your movement. You move your arm in too wide of an arc. Your shoulders twist too much. If you don't correct these small subtle nuances, your combat abilities will not be able to reach its full potential, increased power and speed or no."

The regal woman corrected his stances with her sheathed katana, tapping wherever she deemed incorrect. It was mostly concentrated on his arms and hands, however, as he was focusing on punching for today.

"Again." As soon as the word left her mouth, Naruto came charging at her with his fist cocked. Miya casually blocked it with her katana again. Though she didn't say anything, she was quite impressed with the boy's power behind his strikes. For a human, that was. Though not yet able to make her stagger backwards, she was almost certain that with proper training, the boy would soon be a force to reckon with.

But at his current state, he had a long way to go.

"Uzumaki. You have to keep your fist cocked at this angle-" Miya used her hand to yank his fist back to the side of his chest. "And you spin your fist and start putting pressure around here." Her firm hand guided the boy's with confidence.

"Now, again." For the two hundredth time, possibly more as he lost count at the fifty-fifth, Naruto attacked the woman. And like the previous two hundred times, Miya lightly blocked it with her sheathed katana.

Naruto sighed. "Why can't I fight using Kage Bunshin? My fighting style itself revolves around that, you know." Naruto grumbled as Miya corrected his unmoving form. Though he wasn't exactly a taijutsu specialist, he himself knew that he didn't fall behind any of his other peers. By using his clones, he was able to barrage his opponents with attacks. And even if that didn't work, he could use clones in creative ways to help him out maneuver his adversaries. So not being able to use the clones was like losing his right arm in battle. In other words, it sucked.

Still, Miya paid no heed to his protests. "You may have been able to overwhelm the weak with numbers in the past, Uzumaki. But zero times one hundred is still zero. Your numbers will mean nothing to the stronger opponents unless each clone can do some extensive damage individually. So unless you can improve your basic form and skills, your opponent will plow through you like we did so the other day.

The young shinobi had no comeback for that statement, so he quietly obliged without complaint when the woman shouted "Again!".

* * *

"Let is pause here." For once, Miya's voice was welcome to Naruto, who was starting to tire from repeatedly punching and kicking for a few hours straight. But the result was satisfying, as vast improvement were already seen in his posture when fighting. Useless movements have been cut off, his speed in preparing attacks hastened, and accuracy improved.

Out of nowhere, a small screen appeared in front of Naruto.

_Due to rigorous training, Dexterity has increased by 1._

Naruto blinked at the sudden intrusion.

It was exactly as Takehito told him before, that his other attributes would naturally increase as long as he kept up his training. Despite already having accepted that as a fact, what Naruto did not expect was for the base stat itself to increase as he trained.

This meant that he would be able to increase the stats for strength, speed and dexterity by training by himself or with Miya, without the aid of leveling up.

"Sit down and eat." Miya interrupted his thought process, again. He really needed to find some time for himself to think through these things.

Looking at the woman, Naruto saw that she already had an abundance of food laid in front of her. She had curry, fried chicken and a large sandwich. She brought even more food than he did, and she was eating it as if it were normal. But despite the amount of the food and the amazing speed she was eating in, she was somehow able to keep the noble and majestic ambience around her.

Unlike the woman, however, the blond was scarfing his food down his throat. With a sandwich in one hand and onigiri in another, the boy ate as he alternated between his hands, not caring even when the food smeared over to his cheeks.

But even as he ate barbarously, he noticed the older woman's stare and stared to get slightly unnerved.

"So…" Naruto said in an attempt to dispel the awkward silence. "What do you think?"

The woman stared at him impassively, all the while continuing to eat her food. Nothing was said for a while until she opened her mouth.

"It is…mediocre. Especially without any of your tricks." She replied tersely.

Naruto sweat dropped. She was definitely a harsher and more demanding teacher than Kakashi or Jiraiya. He remembered that it was quite recent when his taijutsu and battle skills were complimented by his teachers…or was it a long time ago? It didn't really matter to him. Everything that had been happening to him recently was too unrealistic that he didn't feel any sorrow or anger. Rather, it felt like he was just going with the flow.

He felt...disturbed by this train of thought. Surely Konoha, his entire life, didn't mean this little to him?

Naruto halted his eating spree at the revelation and frowned.

Miya, who was staring at the boy's face the entire time they were eating, noted the boy's changes in expression with interest.

"Uzumaki...what makes your expression so turbulent?" She suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"My expression...?" Naruto raised his eyebrow. Then he breathed out loudly. "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking about my home."

She cocked her head. "Is that the reason for your drive? Your homeland?"

"Of course! I'm going to be the next hokage! I have to look out for all the...people..." Naruto stopped his usual 'hokage speech' at realizing his blunder. "...or rather, I _wanted_ to in the past..." Naruto's mood soured again.

"You want to know what drives me even past my limit?" The boy quietly inquired Miya. But without waiting for her to answer, he laid his hands on the ground to support his weight and looked towards the sky. "It's my special people. I want to see their smiles. I want to make them happy. And I want to protect them with my life. To do that, I need to get much stronger."

He looked at Miya again with a forlorn smile on his face. "Though it seems like I won't be able to see any of them any more…"

"Ah- what am I saying? Sorry for the sudden randomness." He smiled widely, squinting his eyes and showing all his teeth to her. "Having precious people is awesome! You can feel happiness and a sense of accomplishment multiple times that of what you would feel when you're all alone. Don't you have anyone you care for, Miya?"

The said woman pondered in silence for a few seconds. She didn't think that she had anyone special to her. After all, she left her homeland when she was but a child. And even then, barely anyone was close to her. Not that she ever cared.

Seeing that she didn't come up with anything, Naruto decided to change his question. "Do you have anyone that you want to protect? The reason for your harsh training?"

This time, Miya answered after a short pause. "I…train to protect the younger Sekirei. They are my kin, and I have responsibility to look over them, at least until they can protect themselves."

Naruto smiled softly and spoke. "It's nice that you have something you want to protect. Though it would be better if you did it out of your heart rather than out of duty."

Miya said nothing in response. Instead, she opted to stare at the boy impassively.

Naruto quietly sighed to himself. He really couldn't get the woman to express any feelings. He would really have to work on her as he would do a long-term project. It wasn't as if he was lacking time, considering that he'd be seeing her everyday for at least the next few months.

"Well, if you're done eating, shall we go back to train?" The blond offered as he picked himself up from the ground.

"Yes." The woman replied laconically. She briskly packed the food containers into the basket and stood up elegantly. "We shall work on your stance again."

Naruto silently groaned to himself at the never-ending, repetitive training.

* * *

"Aaaahhh- Nothing like lying on the bed after a long training session!" Naruto exclaimed as he flopped down head first on his bed. He had been training for more than six hours with the lady, continuously working on his form, punching, and dodging. The last section of the training had hurt…a _lot_. Even if she didn't do much damage to him according to the hp bar, she somehow made it ache like crazy. If it weren't for the fact that she didn't show much emotion, he would have thought that she took pleasure in training his dodging instincts from the way she was dishing out her attacks.

But despite the intense training, he wasn't too worn out, which could be evidently seen from his fatigue bar that barely reached the 30 percent mark.

Since he wasn't too tired, he might as well get on to all the things he'd been putting off for a while.

"Status" The blond mumbled under his breath. A screen quickly materialized in front of him.

**_Stats:_**

_Naruto: __Lv.19 (exp: 105/190)_

_(3) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 15  
Speed: 56 (+8)  
Strength: 60 (+5)  
Dexterity: 26 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 26 (+5)_

During the training with Miya, his dexterity increased by 2. He still didn't quite understand what these numbers meant in real life, but he supposed two points were always more welcome than nothing at all.

Without thinking any further, Naruto raised his intelligence points by 3.

As soon as he pressed the confirm button, what it felt like a cool breeze caressed the inside of his head, making him feel slightly lightheaded for a second or two. When he regained his composure, he was disappointed to find that nothing felt different.

'Maybe it was because I only spent 3 points on it?' He wondered.

Shrugging it off, he decided that he wouldn't let this bother him. He had plenty of time to raise his stats, so he would tackle it step by step, patiently. Though patience was never really his strongest suit, he didn't have any other choice, so he'd have to suck it up.

"Inventory" The blond muttered after manually closing the status screen.

A gridded large screen appeared in front of the boy. Only three items were stored, shown as a minimized version of the items' pictures. The item on the first grid showed a small pile of papers, the profile he received from Takehito in the morning.

He still needed to read over the rest of the profiles. When he had just received it, he was in a hurry to meet Matsu that he perused her profile to catch her interest with his extensive knowledge on her, so he didn't really bother to even skim through the rest of the profiles. Now that he was going to be seeing Miya every day, it would be beneficial to read hers as soon as possible to get a better grasp of her character. But since he had more important things to go through, he would hold off the reading for now.

In the next slot of the inventory was an image of a book. It was obviously the reward he'd received this afternoon for completing the mission by having Miya agree to teach him about martial arts. The game must have delivered it straight to his inventory. He was really thankful that the reward didn't appear out of thin air as soon as the mission was accomplished; it would have been extremely hard to explain his way out of it if Miya were to catch sight of it.

Naruto grabbed for the book, making the screen slightly ripple as his hand went inside it. Without having to go too far into it, his hand was able to grab the book, which he pulled out swiftly. The sensation of having his hand go through the time/space storage was so strange that he doubted he'd get used to the feeling any time soon.

He put the book on his lap._ Beginner's Guide to Wind Manipulation_.

Without further ado, the boy opened the book onto the first page.

**_Introduction:_**

_Wind release is one of the five basic elemental nature transformations. It is performed by making chakra as sharp and thin as possible. Wind release is mainly short to mid-ranged offensive techniques that combine brute force and keen precision to deal cutting and slashing damage. Wind techniques are generally performed by generating air circulation and can enhance the body through this method as well. Wind-natured chakra can also be channeled into blades or other metallic weapons to increase their cutting power and overall range. _

_Although some simple wind-based jutsu can be learned without additional training, more complex jutsu require the user to have mastery over wind manipulation in order for it to commence properly. The first stage of wind manipulation requires the user to cut a leaf in half with only wind chakra. The second step requires the user to slice a waterfall with wind chakra. Once these two steps are completed, the user would be ready for most wind-based jutsu or simple manipulation of wind._

Naruto looked up from the book. He wasn't quite expecting the game system to teach him the ninja arts, as shinobi no longer existed in this world. But if he was able to continue his life as a shinobi, who was he to complain?

Flipping through the book, he noted that the next few pages explained in more depth about the first and second stages, while the rest of the book was dedicated to different types of wind jutsu.

The young shinobi's eyes twinkled in excitement at the prospect of having multiple jutsu on his belt, even if they were all wind-based jutsu. He would have to work exceptionally hard to achieve that part of the book as quickly as possible. In fact, he would start training straight after he finished checking out his other reward.

Naruto closed the book and put it back in the inventory, and reached for the double chakra daggers he received as a bonus reward.

Speaking of bonus rewards, after a moment of contemplation, Naruto came to a conclusion that it probably came from his doing additional work on the mission or from a simple whim of the game system.

He'd like to believe that it was the latter. That way, he would be able to exploit the fact and collect as many rewards as possible. It was rather uncertain when and how often missions would be given, so it would be most rational to stockpile rewards when they are available.

If this was the case, then the only additional work he did related to the mission was asking Matsu to be his tutor as well. When she had agreed to be his teacher, the game had not recognized it as a completion of the mission. Instead, it waited until Miya accepted the offer to give a 'mission accomplished', with an additional reward. That probably meant that the game acknowledged Matsu as a teacher as well, and gave me an extra reward for going a step further.

The blond smiled as he mentally patted himself on the back for deducing so well. His intelligence increase was paying off after all.

Though he didn't know the extent of the extra work he'd have to do, he would eventually work it out.

Naruto yanked the two daggers out in between his fingers and examined it, putting each one on his hands.

The dagger he was holding on his right hand had a slightly curved blade that was silver with a hint of blue. Running down the middle of the blade was a thin curve of sapphire secured with midnight-black metal. The edge of the blade was extremely sharp, and the tip made the dagger look so...stabbable.

Naruto lightly touched the tip with his index finger. Without any resistance, the blade tore through his skin and released a stream of blood despite the lack of force he put onto it. It didn't even compare to the ordinary kunai shinobi used: its sharpness was extraordinary. He would have fun using the weapon in the future.

The blond proceeded to scrutinize the dagger on his left hand. Unlike the other dagger, this one was thin and straight. It was mostly whitish silver in color, and had gold stemming from the middle of the handle to nearly the end of the blade. A pair of silver wings sprouted from the guard between the hilt and the blade. It was slightly longer but nonetheless lighter than the curved one.

"Observe." He spoke after he finished his brief examination of the dual blades.

**_Double Chakra Daggers:_**_ Daggers that are used in tandem for amplified power and speed. These daggers can be encased in different chakra natures for increased power, range, speed or supplementary effects. These daggers are special in that they will evolve as the user becomes stronger. Str +5, Spd +5_

The boy's jaws slackened as he read over the description again. This really was a hell of an item for something he'd earned for a bonus reward. He wouldn't let these go to waste by allowing them to stay with an incompetent master. He would train like shinigami incarnated and grow along with these daggers. Never giving up was his nindo, after all.

Naruto hopped off the bed and held out his daggers. Concentrating on the palms of his hands, he called out his chakra and tried to infuse it into the daggers. Not long after, an unstable sheen of blue coated the blades.

The boy watched in interest as the chakra wobbled around the blade, inconsistent in its thickness and shape, and eventually fizz out.

Unperturbed by this, Naruto swung the daggers in a downward ark, one after the other. He noted with fascination that it was very different from using kunai, making him unable to wield it fluidly for now. He couldn't get them to balance properly, most likely due to the difference in shape, length and weight of the daggers. He doubted that each one should be used separately though, if the name 'double chakra daggers' meant anything to go by.

As amazing as these daggers are, he definitely needed some help training with these from either Miya or Matsu. Preferably both. He decided that he'd show these to them as soon as he see them again.

The blond swiftly put the dual daggers into the inventory and finally closed it with a light tap. Then he left for the desolate land once again. He had training to do.

* * *

A blond boy sat in a seiza position on the ground, thinking of what he should do. He had left for the wasteland to train with so much vigor, only to realize that he didn't have any plan or material to train with.

And even though he wanted to train his wind manipulation, he realized that there weren't any trees or leaves for him to use whatsoever. Not to mention the lack of waterfalls if he managed to get to the second stage. He sweat dropped at his lack of foresight.

The only thing he could work on now other than his taijutsu was his rasengan. As he didn't feel like going for another tedious round of punches and kicks, he decided to practice mastering his rasengan.

And while he did that, his clones could run a few errands for him. 'Gotta love shadow clones!' He chuckled to himself.

The young shinobi made a simple cross with his hands and called out the name of his favorite jutsu, making five clones pop out.

"You, go to Takami and ask for a shit lot of paper. You go get me some dinner. You go get me some drinks or water, whatever you want. And you two will stay with me and help me fix and improve my rasengan." He pointed and ordered at each clone. The first three saluted and jumped away in the direction of the MBI building.

"Yosh! Let's do this!" He pumped his fist.

"**Rasengan**!" Naruto tried to create a ball of energy in one hand. Like all his previous attempts, it fluctuated from the lack of control and exploded in his face.

"Owowow...did you get that?" He asked his clones.

"Nope. The same as always, boss." The first clone replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah, it barely looked like a ball. It seemed like you could make the core energy in one hand just fine, but it just goes out of control when more energy is put in there." The second clone voiced his observation.

Naruto groaned at the futility of the exercise. To add fuel to the fire, the exploding rasengan hurt like hell, too.

"I know! Why don't you do this exercise and give me feedbacks?" Naruto excitedly offered his idea. "I must be a genius! This way, I can make multiple clones and see what works and what doesn't!" He exclaimed, obviously proud of himself.

"Umm boss?" The first clone tentatively started talking. "I don't think that will help. We can't survive such an explosion, so we won't be able to report back anything."

The original blond ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Then why don't you work in pairs or something?! I'm not doing this myself. If I'm suffering through this, you guys are coming down with me." He huffed in indignation.

"Sure thing boss." The second clone drawled, rolling his eyes.

"Alright! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**! Get into pairs and try one-handed rasengan! If you find anything new, come and inform me, alright? He shouted out to his clones. "Then get to it!"

"Yes siiir!" The clones shouted altogether, making their voices echo throughout the flat land.

And three seconds later, hundreds of explosions accompanied by poofs were heard. The remaining clones and Naruto stood in silence.

"Wooahhh! What was that?!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Boss! How is this possible?!" A clone near him asked in equal volume.

"Kami-sama, this is a breakthrough!" Another screamed.

"It was slightly jumbled up, but the clones' memories were definitely there!" Naruto commented in astonishment. "How did the memories transfer back to me? And to all the other clones for that matter? Is this another type of meddling from the game?" He wondered out loud.

"Who cares, boss?! We can totally kick ass with this! Just make a whole bunch work on Rasengan and we'll master it in no time!" A clone exclaimed in excitement.

"Alright! Then we'll have five clones go through the attack at once instead of two hundred, so that it won't be as muddled up like just now." Naruto quickly made his favorite sign and summoned approximately five hundred more clones. "Everyone! Stand in groups of five and create Rasengan one group at a time!"

"Right!" The clones immediately shuffled into different groups in a weirdly orderly yet chaotic manner. Then one by one, with a few seconds interval, the group of clones conjured up something akin to rasengan and promptly exploded along with the unstable balls of energy.

A small screen emerged in front of his face.

_Due to continuous insightful thinking, Intelligence has increased by 1._

'Insightful thinking? Was it the training plan I made with the shadow clones?' He wondered. 'The game sure has an interesting way of increasing intelligence…'

Shrugging the interesting revelation off, Naruto started working on Rasengan as well, taking care not to let the sporadic dispelling disrupt his concentration. Though it didn't really work well. Having new memories forcing itself in the brain at random intervals did that to people.

If it were something less...explosive, he was sure that this method of training would yield amazing results. But that will have to wait until later. For now, he had a rasengan to master. Which meant more migraine for him. _Yay_.

As he was pitying himself, two small windows popped up.

_Level up: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_

_Level up: Rasengan_

A few seconds later, the screens disappeared by themselves.

'So by just spamming jutsu, I can level them up? What good does leveling up do, I wonder.' He scratched his chin for a moment when another surge of memories came in. 'Damn, can barely even think straight.'

Just then, a clone ran over to the original, swinging a paper bag at his side.

"Hey boss. Got ya some dinner!" He laid a thin box-like case on the floor. "Nothin too fancy, just some fried rice and beef."

Though the blond didn't notice until now, he was _starving_, especially from all the training he'd been doing the entire day. He nearly drooled from the smell of his dinner.

Closing his mouth shut to keep his saliva in, Naruto showed his appreciation to the clone with a nod and a smile. The clone smiled back in reply and swiftly dispelled itself.

Seeing that there was no reason for him to restrain himself, Naruto dug into the food with an impressive speed. Somewhere along the way, the other clone he'd sent out brought him a bottle of orange juice, which he drowned in one go.

Just as he finished his dinner, the last clone returned with two large boxes filled with paper.

"Is this much enough, boss?" The clone dropped the boxes with a dull thud.

Naruto grinned, showing his fangs. "Yeah. Good job. You can go now."

"Oh yeah, boss! I bumped into Takehito on my way there, and I found something interesting." The clone paused for a moment. "You know what? Why don't you just find out for yourself?" And with a brief wave of his hand, the clone dispelled himself, bringing in a new set of memories.

The boy widened his eyes. "Observation on…people? This is interesting…" He muttered to himself. Though it was indeed intriguing, he had more urgent matters to attend to, so he filed it away for later.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" The blond summoned approximately five hundred clones again. "Everyone grab a few papers and get to work on stage 1! Make a group of 5 again and dispel each group with ten minutes interval!"

When the army of clones started to work on cutting the paper, Naruto also grabbed a few and sat on the floor again. He stared at the paper and concentrated his chakra on his hands. But instead of normally channeling it as he did with his daggers, he tried to change the chakra into a sharper, thinner, and lighter substance, as the book instructed him to do.

For the first few seconds, wisps of blue emitted from his hands to the paper. But as more time passed, the blue hue slowly disappeared, turning into white, almost invisible, force. As it became less visible, the paper he was holding started to rattle and showed signs of getting battered from the wind chakra.

Enthralled, Naruto imagined his chakra forming a blade of wind and tried enforcing it on the paper. Unlike the previous attempt, it made a small yet straight slice at the edge of the paper.

He grinned furiously, finally getting the grasp of how wind manipulation worked. Giving himself a mental pat on the back, the boy started to work on his training again.

Time passed by really quickly for the blond, and before he knew it, it was nearly midnight.

Now that he looked at his status bars, his health bar was nearly full, but it seemed like the fatigue bar was slightly more than three quarters filled.

It seemed as though his training method was more taxing on his body than Miya's training. Perhaps it was the constant use of shadow clones? Their memory feedback and extensive chakra use? He didn't quite know yet.

One thing he did know was that he needed to finish off his training here. He didn't want to be half dead when training with Miya the next day, after all. And she probably wouldn't go easy on him even if he were. In fact, she'd probably push him harder. That damned lady.

The boy looked out to the field to find a single problem. There were still ten groups of clones left. If he carried on the regime at the same pace he was going at the whole night, it would take nearly two hours. That's ten percent of his fatigue bar he wouldn't be able to recharge on his bed.

Then the only choice he had was to speed it up. He was in no way going to dispel all of them at once. It was most likely going to hurt like hell and he might lose some efficiency because two hundred of six hours worth of memories may...strike that, almost _definitely _get jumbled up out of comprehension.

He grimaced at the thought. He wasn't going to do that any time soon.

"Hey guys! Change of plans. Every group dispel with one-minute interval! Get to it!" Naruto cupped his mouth with his hands and let the training clones know.

He quickly sat back in a seiza position and closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for the incoming barrage of memories. Although he had been training like this for the past six hours, it didn't seem to get any easier on his brain. As a matter of fact, it seemed to get even more taxing as time progressed. He guessed that it had to do with his fatigue as well as the increasing amount of memories each clone held.

A surge of memory rushed into his brain. Flashes of memories passed by his eyes, all coming from different directions. And before he could comprehend them all, another surge flowed in. Another. And another.

Damn, he didn't think it through when he set the intervals to one minute. He was becoming nauseous, dizzy and even slightly faint.

He cracked open his left eye to look at his fatigue bar. It was filling up at an incredible speed, getting faster as more clones dispelled.

Eighty-five percent. Ninety percent. Ninety-seven percent.

He wasn't going to make it. And he was so close, too. He glanced at the remaining two groups of clones.

"S-stop dispelling. That's…enough." Naruto weakly said to the clones. "You can dispel after I reach my bed. Need to get healed up for tomorrow, ya know?"

The clones worriedly looked at the original, then at themselves. After exchanging a short conversation with others, a clone approached Naruto to piggyback him. "I'll get boss to his bed, then dispel. You can dispel after that." He told the others. "Get on, boss."

Naruto didn't say anything as he acquiesced to the clone's order and allowed himself to drift off.

* * *

_"How could you do this to me? Didn't you say that you loved me? Then WHY?!" A pink haired girl screamed as tears streamed down her eyes. "First Sasuke and now you? Did you want to leave me wallowing in sorrow for my entire life?" She sobbed._

_"No, no. Saukra-chan. You know that I wouldn't…" He tried to reason with her, but she distanced herself from him, getting out of his reach. Before he could chase her, another voice entered._

_"Naruto. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon comrades are worse than trash. To abandon your comrades and your village for some power, aren't you as bad as Sasuke now?" A grey haired man wearing a mask glared at him with his sole eye. "Yondaime was wrong to entrust the kyuubi with you. You weren't good enough after all." He growled._

_"Kakashi sensei…it wasn't my fault! I didn't betray the village! All I wanted to do was help protect it…!" Naruto desperately tried to tell him, but he too, backed away from the blond with an impossible speed. _

_"Damn gaki, you dare leave me with this despicable hokage seat? As I expected, you only wanted to burden the others, dragging people out of their shells just to drop them into acid and run away by yourself." A blond woman with a diamond shaped seal on her head spoke venomously. "I never should have thought of you as a grandson, you manipulative fox bastard!" She growled._

_"Baa-chan, no!" Naruto screamed, now tears glistening at his eyes. "It's not like that…" His voice turned into a whisper. _

_"Naruto. Must I believe that I trained you for three years just so you could run away?" The toad sage asked. Instead of the lecherous or humorous smile he always wore, he had a stony look that seemed to contain disbelief, contempt, and disappointment. "When have you stooped so low, gaki?" _

_"Ero sennin…not you too…" Naruto no longer had the will or the strength to defend himself. _

_"Hn. I always knew you were incompetent, dobe. Even after giving up all your precious bonds, you are still weaker than me." A raven-haired man sneered at him. "You never had skills to begin with. But now, you don't even have any of those bonds that you spoke so highly of. You truly have nothing now!" The man looked down on him with fully matured shringan. And like everyone else, he floated away to the back. _

_"I'll never forgive you."_

_"You traitor."_

_"Monster."_

_"Trash."_

_"Incompetent fool."_

_"You disappoint me."_

_"I'll despise you even after my death."_

_They all approached and encircled him, throwing scathing remarks and scowls at him. And soon, more and more people joined them. Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Neji, Gaara, Konoha's villagers. _

_Before he knew it, he was surrounded by hundreds of people, all glowering at him. _

_"No, no, no…" Naruto backed away only to bump into a wall of people with hate in their eyes. "I didn't do anything. It wasn't my fault. No." The boy clasped his ears and closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the crowd. "Get away from me. I'm not the bad guy. Go away." He kneeled down on the floor, his fringe covering his eyes. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"_

* * *

Naruto jerked out of his bead, throwing his blanket away from him. His eyes were dilated, his breath labored, and his heart thumping loudly in his ears. It was a dream. Just a dream. A figment of imagination. A fake. None of those people would say such things to him.

The troubled boy tried to calm himself down by deeply breathing in and out, a trick he'd learned from ero sennin.

It was slightly over eight, which meant that he had a bit less than two hours until he had to meet Miya.

His health was fully charged, and his fatigue bar was slightly more than half-filled. There was no point in staying in the bed, though, because he wouldn't be able to sleep after _that_ dream.

'Might as well check on my stats and skills growth.' He mused.

"Stats." He quietly muttered.

**_Stats:_**

_Naruto: __Lv.19 (exp: 105/190)_

_(0) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 20  
Speed: 56 (+8)  
Strength: 60 (+5)  
Dexterity: 37 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 26 (+5)_

From the training, he didn't gain any exp. But his intelligence increased by 2, and dexterity by 13 including the time he spent training with Miya. He supposed that it was a pretty impressive growth considering that he just gained 5 levels worth of points with just training, even if he had the help of clones.

But his intelligence was still much lower than all the other stats, which he was going to rectify as soon as possible. But still, he was happy to know that it doubled after gaining his gaming ability.

Seeing no point in looking at it any further, he moved on. "Skills."

**_Skills:_**

_Observation (lv.2)  
Shadow clone jutsu (lv.26)  
Sexy jutsu (lv.2)  
Rasengan (lv.46)  
Henge (lv.3)  
Kawarimi (lv.2)  
Surface/water walking (lv.3)_

Amazingly, the level of Rasengan increased by 42, and Shadow Clone by 21. Though he'd been using those two jutsu since forever, he was amazed at what a proper training incorporated with hundreds of shadow clones could do. He had truly discovered a deadly training method.

And for some reason, even his Observation level increased by 1. It was probably because the clone he'd sent for papers went crazy on the Observation skill after finding out that it could be used on humans.

Speaking of Observation, apparently different food had different effects on his body. He'd have to find one that decreased his exhaustion so that he could train more.

The boy closed the screen and fully stepped out of his bed. Only when he looked down did he realize that he was still wearing the uniform he wore the day before, including his sandals.

'Gah! Hope it didn't dirty the bed too much…' He thought to himself. As trivial as it was for a shinobi, he really liked his comfortable bed, and had every intention to keep it clean and fluffy for as long as possible.

Naruto roughly tousled his hair to bring it back to its original messiness, and left his room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

_**On the Next Chapter: **_

_"Hehehe…Muhahahahahahahaa!" Unknowingly, he let out an evil laugh at the prospect of abusing his shadow clones so much as well as the exponential growth he'd be showing the world._

_"My, you sound so cute with that evil mastermind laugh, foxy-kun~" An amused voice came from behind Naruto's back._

_Naruto's entire posture went frigid. He knew that tone, that voice, that unhidden mirth..._

_'Of all people I could bump into while having a moment, it had to be her?' He cried anime tears in his mind. _

* * *

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry that this chapter came out a bit later than I promised, and I hope that I can upload the next one in two to three days. **

**For a little heads up, the next chapter will be the last or the second last chapter of the Kamikura Island arc. We'll be able to see Naruto in the big world soon~ _**

**Anyways, your reviews and criticisms are appreciated. They help me out a lot, so keep commenting please!**

**Until next time!**

**-Yuna the Ninja**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I'm so sorry that I'm late! I tried to update before my school started two weeks ago, but I missed the timing to finish off the rest of the story...**_

_**I won't be taking a hiatus, but the updates will be excruciatingly slow from now on. With the school projects, tests, and SATs, I doubt I'll be able to write too much. **_

_**Putting that aside, I brought to you the longest chapter yet...it goes over 10k words! It may not seem like much to the experienced writers, but it was a helluva long one for me. **_

_**Thank you all for taking your time to read my story!**_

* * *

"Observation" A blond spoke in a whisper as he stared at the drinks that were laid out on the counter.

_Black Coffee: Bitter coffee with high caffeine. Drives off sleep to an extent. Decreases fatigue by 5 percent.  
Warning: if taken excessively, the user may become uncontrollably hyper._

The young blond had been standing around for a while now, as he was checking out every single drink that he could lay his eyes on. He was determined to know what he would need to drink for certain effects. He would have 'observed' the food as well, but since they had to be ordered from the menu and were not in plain sight for him to see, he'd have to take his time with that.

"Observation" He said for perhaps the fifth time.

_Green Tea: Tea that retains a slightly greenish hue. It has a calming effect and drives off sleep. Decreases fatigue by 5 percent. _

"Hey kid, stop being indecisive and order something." The lady behind the counter told him off with an annoyed tone.

He ignored her.

"Observation"

_Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed, pure orange juice. Increases cheerfulness and decreases fatigue by 3 percent._

Thinking that he'd looked enough for now, Naruto casually walked up to the counter and ordered with an air of nonchalance. If he saw the violent twitching eyebrow of the woman, he did well in ignoring it.

"I'll take a bottle of green tea and two bottles of orange juice." He slightly paused. "Can you recommend me anything that can give a lot of energy after a harsh training session?" He cocked his head slightly to the left when he asked a question.

The woman at the counter sighed when she realized that she couldn't stay annoyed boy who was asking an ingenuous question. "I'd recommend smoked salmon, barbeque, bean salad or baked potatoes with sour cream. Well, there's a diversity of food here, most of which are pretty healthy, so you should try all of them sometime."

"Thanks, lady. I'll take smoked salmon and potatoes then." Naruto grinned at the woman and left to sit on his table.

* * *

Feeling refreshed and invigorated, Naruto happily walked down the hall. Who knew eating and drinking did so much in decreasing his fatigue? Now that he was privy to this knowledge, he could train even more than he did the last night. Of course, when he meant by 'more training', he meant spamming more shadow clones.

"Hehehe…Muhahahahahahahaa!" Unknowingly, he let out an evil laugh at the prospect of abusing his shadow clones so much as well as the exponential growth he'd be showing the world.

"My, you sound so cute with that evil mastermind laugh, foxy-kun~" An amused voice came from behind Naruto's back.

Naruto's entire posture went frigid. He knew that tone, that voice, that unhidden mirth...

'Of all people I could bump into while having a moment, it had to be her?' He cried anime tears in his mind.

"Uhh…hi there, Kazehana. Fancy seeing you here." Naruto gave her his most nonchalant smile he could as he turned around to face her.

The purple haired woman was standing only a few feet behind him, with her arm still in a sling. Nonetheless, she seemed to be moving without much obstruction, if the way she swayed her hips as she approached him indicated anything.

In fact, she seemed to be doing a little _too_ good. Her dangerously twinkling eyes, the small smile on her sultry lips, and her furiously bouncing breasts didn't lose any of their attractiveness. The last one especially caught the young blond's eyes. The way the two globes jiggled up and down made him want to clasp it in his mouth and-

'Bad Naruto! Bad!' Naruto gritted his teeth in an attempt to banish his thoughts. Tearing his eyes away from her dangerous appendages to her eyes, Naruto chanted in his mind. 'Lee and Gai are hugging. Lee and Gai are hugging. Lee and Gai are...Gahh! I think my brain received permanent damage...but at least it got the job done…'

When Naruto shook his head out of the horrendous imagery, the woman was already next to him, draping her slender arms around his neck from his left side.

Her hot breath licked Naruto's ear when she sensually whispered to him, "Does foxy-kun enjoy what he's seeing?" She pressed her body on his arm to fluster the boy even further.

The boy's body stiffened for a moment from the unexpected gesture. But he recovered almost immediately, flashed a devilish smile, and turned his head to directly face Kazehana's teasing countenance, his lips only centimeters away from her own.

"Oh, I definitely am, Kazehana. And if you keep this up," Naruto paused and widened his smirk, showing his fangs. "I might just…_do things _to you." He purred as he inched closer to her lips.

Kazehana widened her eyes at the bold comeback. She'd intended for him to redden in embarrassment and become a stuttering mess so that she could find some entertainment in the boring building she was stuck in. But for him to react so assertively…she would need to make a tactical retreat for now. She couldn't afford to lose her first kiss here simply due to a miscalculation, no matter how tempting it may be.

Still keeping a small smile on her face, though not without some effort, Kazehana slowly slid her arms off the boy's shoulders. "Ne, you're no fun, foxy-kun~" She whined, putting a pout on her lustrous lips.

Naruto closed his eyes and smiled, stretching his lips to a thin curve. With his whisker marks, he truly looked like a humanoid version of a fox.

"But Kazehana, I only offered you what you seemed to want. You were the one who backed off, you know?"

The purple haired woman huffed and turned around, not wanting to admit that she had lost that round.

Unknown to her, Naruto was busy calming his drumming heartbeat and keeping the blood from rushing up to his face. He was still very inexperienced in the aspect of dealing with women, so her sudden approach had surprised him greatly. But he wasn't Jiraiya's disciple for three years for nothing. He'd been to brothels hundreds of times to drag his sensei out of the place, out of the clutches of very scantly clothed women.

He was even offered service once, when it was his fifteenth birthday. He had declined, of course, wanting to keep his chastity for his true love. But Jiraiya kept on insisting that he needed some experience, saying that he'd need to create a defense mechanism for seduction missions, so they compromised on limiting it to heavy petting and dirty talking.

Naruto silently thanked ero-sennin, kami bless his perverted old soul, for forcing him to take up on the experience. It was his only saving grace against the voluptuous woman, because she was apparently very taken to teasing others sexually and watching them squirm from embarrassment, according to her profile. If he hadn't sobered up fast enough, or let his eyes wander a bit more, he probably would have been putty in her hands by now.

The boy shivered at the thought. Luckily for him, Kazehana didn't notice his small bout of weakness as she was still facing away from him.

Deciding to change the subject before she realized that he was only bluffing, Naruto asked the first thing that came into his mind.

"Hey, Kazehana. Why do you call me foxy-kun?"

Once again caught off by the unexpected change of topic by the blond, Kazehana blinked. Then putting on a smile, she swerved her body to face Naruto again and pointed her index finger at his face to make her point.

"It's because of your whisker marks, of course! And the way you act and smile…it just reminded me of a fox the first day we met!" She replied in a chipper tone.

Naruto shrugged. He guessed that it would be something along those lines. It was just that he was surprised to be recognized as a fox, because no one pointed it out when he was still in Konoha, probably because they hated associating anything with the kyuubi. Well, at least she got the animal right. He'd hate to be called anything else…like a cat. He still felt foaming anger at that damned demon hellcat Tora for scratching his face off at least a hundred times. He grunted at the thought in distaste.

Mistaking his grunt for a disapproval of her answer, Kazehana quickly added on to her answer, though in a cheeky manner.

"There's also the fact that you never gave me your name, foxy-kun. How is a lady supposed to call you when she doesn't know the man's name?"

"…Oh."

He didn't know that, nor did he expect it. He had simply chalked it up to her flirtatious character or her weird quirk of calling others by their nicknames.

"It's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." The boy looked at Kazehana's eyes as he introduced himself. "You'd better remember it now that I personally told you my name!"

"Fishcake? Your name is fishcake?"

Kazehana giggled as she watched the blond boy's face twitch in annoyance. It seemed as though this wasn't the first time he'd heard the joke. But she wasn't going to let go of the blatant chance to embarrass the boy. She was going to milk this for all its worth, more so because her first attempt at teasing the blond backfired.

"It's maelstrom, dammit! It's a totally awesome name! Why don't people just get it!" He barked in indignation.

"Moh~ Now I'm having a dilemma of choosing between calling you fishcake-kun and foxy-kun~" She dramatically sighed as she placed both her hands on her cheeks, shaking her head sideways in faux concern as she did so.

A growl nearly reverberated through his throat. He should have known that the woman wouldn't bother calling him his given name even if it was given to her.

As he was about to throw a fit like he would have before his training trip, his brain suddenly whirled with the extra intelligence points he had used. It was then that he came to realize that he would be giving the woman the pleasure of satisfaction if he responded with hot air to her taunts.

No way in hell would he allow that woman to snatch his victory with just that, especially not after he had to go through that troublesome acting.

Naruto quietly released a small breath through his mouth and neutralized his facial expressions.

"You can call me whatever you want." The blond offered without much emotion in his tone. But his eyes twinkled as he continued speaking. "But I'd like to let you know, dear, that I will reply just in kind, wind flower-san." He smirked in triumph and started to walk away from the woman.

Before Kazehana could comprehend that she had been one-upped again, Naruto increased his speed and left the hallway, laughing quietly to himself while relishing in the sweet taste of victory.

"Ah…he left already? He's an interesting one, that child." She said to no one in particular. Then she closed her eyes as though she was trying to feel for something.

"The wind blowing from him is strong…but fleeting." A genuine smile was plastered on her face. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again…Naruto-kun."

* * *

The young shinobi was once again outside, stretching his body to ready himself for the harsh training he would be receiving.

"Damn, I forgot to check her stats…" He muttered to himself while he was pulling on his left arm. "That woman…she really knows how to make me lose my composure." He squatted down and stretched his legs. "It'll probably be best if I avoided her, for my mental health's sake…Though knowing my luck, I can bet my future ramen that I'll be seeing her soon."

While he was muttering to himself, a certain Sekirei noticed the boy and walked towards him.

"If you took the pains to arrive early, would it not be more efficient to start training properly, Uzumaki?" Miya admonished disapprovingly.

"With you as the trainer? No thanks, I'll stick to warming up my body." He grinned at her as he stood back up. "I want to return to my room with my body intact, you see."

Miya didn't know why, but she suddenly had an urge to grab the boy's whiskered cheeks and drag him across the ground. _Strange_. She shrugged the feeling off and stared at the boy.

"Oh right!" The blond exclaimed and slapped a fist on his palm as his face brightened, leaving the woman standing in front of him confused of his sudden change in demeanor. Without waiting for her reaction, he turned around and inaudibly muttered to summon his inventory, from which he swiftly pulled out his daggers with one hand as he did the previous day. Fortunately, Miya couldn't see him pulling things out of thin air as his back was blocking her view.

"I was wondering if you could help me learn how to use these." Naruto handed the daggers to Miya, the blades pointing toward her. She delicately grabbed the blades with her fingertips and deftly swirled them both into her palms to properly examine them. Her unchanging expression kept Naruto on the edge as he awaited her assessment.

"These…" Her gaze on the daggers lifted to look at the blond's eyes. "…are an interesting set of weapons you've chosen."

Without losing her elegant posture, the woman turned her body to the left and widened her legs slightly, all the while flipping the dagger on her left hand to a reverse grip. She then swiped the left dagger to the right, which was followed without pause by a horizontal slash with the dagger on her right hand. The movements were swift and succinct, and would have been nothing but a blur had Naruto not been a shinobi.

Naruto couldn't help but be awed by her adroitly handling the daggers, the daggers she probably had never held before, when she went through an improvised kata on the spot, her movements flowing from one to the next. How she could figure out the usage of the weapons with just a glance, he'd never know.

She indicated the end of the impromptu kata when she drew a large cross with both daggers in front of her chest, before flipping the weapons once more and placing them beside her hip and into her brown belt. Miya then straightened up and plucked out the daggers again, and moved towards Naruto to give them back.

"It is not my expertise, but I can teach you the basics." She spoke with a blank face, a direct contrast to Naruto's ear-splitting grin. "But this doesn't mean that we'll stop the hand-to-hand combat training. I'm protracting the training session to the afternoon." She declared without any consent. Not that he cared. He would've agreed to it anyway. He wasn't upset at not being given a choice. Nope, he wasn't.

"Well, let us begin then." She took the daggers from him again. "These are the grips for daggers." Miya held the daggers like she did previously. Naruto scrutinized her fingers and their positions carefully. He was surprised to find out that they were quite different from the grips he used for kunai when in close combat, so he stared at her grip even harder.

Miya then changed the position of the two daggers by flicking her wrist, conveniently putting her fingers into a different position. "This is the other grip that you will have to memorize." She succinctly finished her explanation. Naruto studied the grips again, making his fingers encircle imaginary daggers to copy his mentor's fingers.

Without waiting any further, Miya put the knives back to Naruto's hands. "Now that you know the grip, alternate between them as you run to and from the MBI building." When Naruto incredulously stared at the woman with his mouth agape, she unsheathed her katana to begin her own training.

"Run for two hours." Were the only words he received from the woman. Slumping his back as he sighed, Naruto looked at the woman one last time before he began jogging with two daggers in his hands.

After taking three steps forward, he came to a halt and spun his head around to stare at Miya's face again, only to see her swinging her katana with incredible force, though without a hint of emotion on her shapely face.

Then was it a trick of light for him to have seen a small smirk gracing her lips?

The training as a whole wasn't too tiring for the blond shinobi. He was, after all, the kid who ran away from anbu for hours after a nice prank when he was still in the academy. Though he had fuddled up the grip a few times and dropped the daggers several times, he concluded that the training was overall a success. He could now switch between the different grips without nearly piercing his feet open. _Yay_.

When he reached Miya for the umpteenth time, Naruto noticed that it was lunchtime. But of course, having a trainer whose name was Miya, he couldn't even dare ask her for a break. And so, they moved on to the next course of the agenda: dodging training, aka survival training. His _all time_ _favorite_.

She was much fiercer than she was the previous day, striking him at joints and vulnerable places like his abdomen and…his unmentionables down below. He wasn't really able to get up for a while after that hit. But it proved to be an efficient lesson, whether she meant for it to be or not, as his reflexes increased by a tenfold. Even his speed stat increased.

He wasn't really sure if he was supposed to be happy or not, after experiencing so many near-death situations.

After somehow dodging most her attacks for slightly over an hour, Miya finally gave him a lunch break.

Whooping in joy, Naruto plopped down to the floor to rest his aching muscles and bones. As he was about the slump down into a more relaxing position, Miya pulled out a large multilayered bento box from the grey haori she was wearing, and proceeded to lay it out on the floor.

The blond was absent mindedly wondering how such a slender woman could eat so much, before he did a spit-take at realizing something.

'Where the hell did she pull that ginormous thing from?! Does she know fuiinjutsu? Or does she have access to a space/time Inventory like I do?'

He stopped moving to stare intensely at the woman, which resulted in his awkward position of something that was half way between sitting and laying belly-down. Realizing this, he changed back to his previous posture of sitting down with his legs crossed.

"Where did…how did you make that huge bento appear out of nowhere?" He queried with a finger pointing at her haori.

"Hm? What are you saying, Uzumaki. I was holding on to this the entire time." She replied nonchalantly.

"All you were holding in your hands was your katana." Naruto stated with certainty.

"It is because I was holding it inside my haori. It's common sense, Uzumaki."

Though he wanted to protest otherwise, the young shinobi decided to leave things be for his mentality's sake.

When he opened up the inventory to pull out his own lunch, he realized that he forgot to bring any because he was having too much fun playing around with his 'observation' skill.

Naruto sighed. Kami must seriously hate him to put all his luck into useless gambling skills and leave the societal luck, which he desperately needed, almost completely void.

It would be impossible for him to survive another round of Miya's training in an empty stomach, meaning that he had to somehow get food for himself. Problem: it took nearly twenty minutes to go to and return from the MBI building and a bit more for the staffs to pack lunch, which by then the break would be over.

"Then the only choice I have is…"

Naruto glanced at Miya, who inhaling the food at the speed he ate ramen…elegantly. It was an interesting combination, he mused.

He shook his head at getting off track, before tentatively approaching Miya's eating form.

"Hey, Miya?" The only indication of her having heard Naruto's call was her violet eyes that now flickered up to stare at his face. The rest of her body, even her face, did not move a single inch from the previous position, as she continued eating at the same pace.

"Um…I kind of forgot to bring my lunch today…haha…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "So could you perhaps spare some food for me, please?" He bowed his head and clasped his hands together to show her how desperate he was.

Miya's eyes flickered back to her lunch before swallowing what was left in her mouth. Then she briskly replied, "No." And she continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, okay. Sorry." Naruto replied in a dejected tone. He then returned to the spot he had occupied previously with his head hung down in depression and his feet dragging.

Though he had been expecting that answer, he couldn't deny that he had a sliver of hope in receiving a bit of her lunch. And because of that small hope, the rejection bothered him a tad more than he thought it would. But he'd survive. Such feelings of dejection or hunger were not foreign to him.

As Naruto was busy brooding by himself, he didn't notice a certain lavender haired woman giving him furtive glances. The said woman was in quite a dilemma herself. Though the reason was unknown to her, she wanted to bring back the blond boy and feed him herself.

Miya furrowed her delicate eyebrows in confusion. This emotional business was more complicated than she had previously thought, she decided.

She thought of calling the boy over, or going there herself. But in the end, she concluded that he would be able to take care of himself. This would also teach him not to be forgetful.

Miya continued to eat her lunch, though not without glancing at Naruto every now and then.

* * *

"You're late." Matsu stated, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Sorry Matsu, but the training with Miya got extended due to certain circumstances." Naruto sighed. "But if it makes you feel any better, I still didn't have anything for lunch." He grimaced. Damn his desires to keep promises. He should've eaten something on the way there.

"Ne, are you all right, Naru-tan?" She seemed to worry for his sake for a moment, before her mouth widened into a dopey smile, a slight drool hanging off it. "There's no food here, but if it's nourishment, Matsu can provide it especially for Naru-tan~. Kukukukukukuku" She started giggling like a perverted old man. "Just give Matsu your finger and Matsu will prepare everything for Naru-tan. Kukukukukukukukukukukuku-"

Naruto stood still for a second, confused. Then when he finally understood the innuendo, he jerked his hands behind his back and growled. "Keep your hands off me, you dirty woman!"

Undeterred in the slightest, Matsu advanced toward Naruto, hands moving in disturbing motions once again. "Come here, Naru-tan. Matsu will give you something tasty~"

Acting on pure reflex that was literally beaten into him by Miya, Naruto lashed out a quick jab at the threat that was approaching him. Before Matsu was able to continue her perverse invitation, the words were caught in her throat with a soundless gasp as Naruto's fist met her solar plexus. Her eyes widened in shock at the sudden assault, but she was left unable to analyze the situation when her body skidded across the room and her head slammed on the wall with a dull thud. The redhead was instantly knocked out cold.

"Um...oops?" Naruto winced at the woman's now limp form, realizing the damage he'd done to her. He then approached her before crouching down to look into her face, and poked her cheeks repetitively with his index finger. "Hope you learned your lesson, Matsu. You never sexually assault people who can kick your ass." He chuckled quietly to himself.

"But…knowing the nature of openly perverted perverts, she'll probably sexually harass almost everyone she comes across. Damn open perverts and their resilience." Naruto shook his head in exasperation, thinking of a certain white haired man who never gave up on peeking on women even if he was beaten to the brink of death multiple times.

"Oh right! Almost forgot to do this, _again_." He stood back up, though his eyes didn't leave Matsu's body. "It was bad enough that I missed out on checking out Miya and Kazehana..." He blinked twice, rewinding what he just said in his mind. "Okay, that sounded…wrong. Meh. At least no one heard it." Naruto shrugged his shoulders dismissively.

"Observation."

Name: Matsu / No.02

_Level: 51  
Specialty: Technology  
Gender: Female  
Species: Sekirei  
Condition: Fainted_

_Intelligence: 92  
Speed: 18  
Strength: 16  
Dexterity: 56_

"Woah, that's some high intelligence right there." The blond exclaimed with mouth agape. He had already surmised that she was a Sekirei with high intelligence considering her abilities and the perks they bring her, but for it to be such a high number, and for it to exceed the standard distribution of 3 stat points per level by 29 points…

There was much more to the pervert than she appeared to be. As he suspected, it would be beneficial for him to stay near her and get some guidance, though he would have to be cautious of some of her…_extreme _tendencies.

It wasn't long before the redhead began to stir awake. When her red eyes fluttered open, she was surprised to see two sapphire eyes staring at her.

"Ugh…Naru-tan…?" She lifted her head off the wall and gingerly felt the back of her head with her fingertips. She cringed in surprise at the large bump on the back of her head, which resonated with a dull ache when her hand breached it. "What…happened?"

"Uhh, sorry about that." Naruto replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck while he smiled apologizingly. "That would be my fault. I accidently may have punched you in the gut…sorry."

"Oh…"

Neither spoke for a while, creating an uncomfortable silence in the room.

"You don't need to worry about it, Naru-tan." Having rebooted her system, Matsu spoke in her usual chipper tone. "I'm a Sekirei, after all."

She then switched on her perverted self, as she continued, "In fact, Matsu doesn't mind men who play rough. Though S&amp;M isn't really Matsu's preference, it can also be an interesting part of Matsu's experiments, kukukukuku~" And her drooling started again as she began muttering things that Naruto did not want to know.

"Oi, Matsu!" Naruto's shout snapped the girl out of her imagination. "Can you _please_ control yourself for a moment and look at these for me? Miya is already teaching me how to use them, but I want to get some of your suggestions, too." He handed her the daggers from his belt. He decided to keep them on his body after training with Miya, after concluding that it would arouse suspicion if he didn't carry his new favorite weapons around with him.

Matsu showed immediate interest toward the blades, which was displayed by her enthusiasm in inspecting them, unlike Miya whose face didn't show a single twitch. It was a refreshing change to Naruto after having stayed with the near emotionless woman for so long.

"These daggers seem to be of pretty good quality." Her thumb glided over the

After thoroughly checking out the daggers, Matsu readjusted her glasses before she began speaking. "These weapons are meant for the user to attack without giving the opponent much time to retaliate, because they require the movement to be fluid and connected." She lifted her eyes from the blades to look at Naruto. "Actually, this is perfect for you because the martial arts form I was planning on teaching you focuses on speed and fluidity."

Naruto's interest peaked again at the mention of his new martial arts form. He gestured for her to continue.

"I've been doing some digging in the history archives, especially the ones in Japan, and I found a whole collection of documented scrolls. The one I chose for you is called Swirling Tides."

'Swirling tides? Sounds suspiciously like a name ninjas of elemental nations would come up with...' Before the blond could entertain the thought any longer, Matsu continued her explanation.

"From what I've gathered from your battle style, you seem to favor power over everything else, rushing in to get a strong hit rather than wearing the opponent out bit by bit. I'm not saying that it's a bad strategy, because you have the firepower to do so and those clones to maneuver yourself. But your form can definitely use some improvement."

Naruto slightly pouted at the criticism, but nodded along because he knew that it was true.

"This form would suit you well because you'd be able to parry most attacks with much less effort, and retaliate with more calm and accuracy. You'll be graceful and evasive like the tides, but you'll also be able to hit with magnificent force like the waves."

She finished with a satisfying smile on her lips.

"Wow, that's quite a research you've done, Matsu. How'd ya even find the thing?"

"This kind of thing is nothing to a genius like Matsu." The redhead proudly puffed out her chest.

To her surprise, Naruto slowly nodded in agreement before raising his hand to her head and petting it softly.

"Thanks, Matsu. I'm grateful that you put so much work into it for me. Even if you forced a favor out of me for this." He chuckled. "I guess I'll have to show you my absolute best, then. I don't want to let down my genius teacher down, after all."

Matsu turned her head away as she felt blood rushing up to her cheeks.

"W-well, we should get started. You have a lot more to learn than you think." She hastily stepped away from Naruto and rushed out the door, slamming it behind her as she left.

Naruto blinked. "What's gotten her so flustered?" He asked to no one in particular. "Meh, it must be a weird Sekirei thing." He shrugged before chasing after Matsu.

* * *

**3 Years Time Skip**

"What do you mean I won't age any more?!" A blond shouted in disbelief.

Naruto was sitting on his usual spot on the clinic bed in Takehito's lab when he heard the unrealistic news. He had been unprepared to hear such a thing, because for the three years he'd been visiting the lab, there weren't many changes that had occurred to his body. Though he didn't know if his second growth spurt was the experiments' doing or not. But that was neither here nor there. He did not want to stop aging! He wanted to get an adult-like and sage-y look like all the older ninjas had! Not to mention that people would look at him weird if they found out that he never got any older.

Ignoring Naruto's plight, Takehito calmly explained himself.

"It's nothing damaging. In fact, I believe that this would be good for you." Takehito replied with a smile, unperturbed in the slightest by the blond's horrification. "The results proved that your blood and Sekirei blood are compatible, so I injected some of theirs into your veins. Though your body somehow purged the first few doses of Sekirei blood…so we ended up injecting approximately three liters of it."

"WHAT?!" Before he was able to begin ranting again, the scientist justified his reasons.

"Don't you want to be near the Sekirei, Naruto? I know that you've been especially close to the first three Sekirei, if the amount of time you're spending with them indicates anything."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything, Takehito. Stop trying to change the subject and explain yourself. Three liters of blood isn't something to take lightly to, you know." Naruto narrowed his eyes and growled at the man.

"To put it bluntly, you weren't an ashikabi material. Before you demand what that has to do with anything, let me explain myself. The Sekirei you're close to, they're eventually going to find their own ashikabi. And when that day comes, you probably won't be able to continue the same kind of relationship you have with them right now. From what I'm assuming, in only a few years, you'll be distant friends at best."

The man calmly took a sip of water and put it back on the stand next to him.

"But with this, now I can confidently say that you're an ashikabi now. A bit too much of the blood may have brought you to a place where you are some weird kind of hybrid between ashikabi and Sekirei, making you have some of the Sekirei's traits, but an ashikabi nonetheless. Not many people are ashikabi, you know. You should be happy about this. For someone like me, no matter how much I tried to wing one of the Sekirei, I would never be able to…" His tone took a bitter turn towards the end.

"Oh…I'm, uh, sorry about that…with Miya, right?" The boy's anger quickly turned to that of guilt. Having trained with Miya for three years, he slowly became her friend and her confidant on many different subjects. Her growing interest toward the man standing in front of him was one of them. During their lunch breaks, the previously emotionless woman frequently questioned him on the intricacies of relationships: what camaraderie was like, what friendship could be, and what love was.

Of course, Naruto couldn't answer all those things with confidence. He was almost always alone until he was admitted into his genin cell, rejected by his crush at least a thousand times with a punch to his head, and his first friend punched a fist through his chest. He probably wasn't really the best teacher for relationships. Regardless, he had made many bonds that he came to cherish throughout his ninja career, and he told Miya many stories behind each bond.

For the first few days, the blond was unsure whether Miya was actually listening to him or not. Not even a grunt or an affirmation was given to him when he unraveled his story. Only her piercing gaze was the initiative he was given to continue speaking. But after that phase, the woman's expressions stared to soften, albeit barely. And after that, she began asking him questions about his stories and insights. So when she first shared her emotions with him, the pride and joy he felt was insurmountable.

Then she realized that Takehito had more to offer her with the emotions department.

He, unlike Naruto, had many ongoing relationships that he could show Miya. He, unlike Naruto, was a fully mature man who had many years of experience on his belt. And he, unlike Naruto, was capable of loving like a normal person.

And so their roles changed once more. Although Naruto was still her closest friend and confidant, he was no longer her teacher. Takehito personally took over that spot instead.

For some reason, Naruto was displeased when she dismissed him of the position of her teacher. This was what it felt to be robbed of a student, maybe? Nonetheless, since it was Miya's choice, he decided to fully support her by helping her as a friend whenever she was in need. And as a friend, he was able to see her affection toward Takehito grow day by day, and he offered many suggestions on how she should act in front of the man.

But he knew that both of them were crushed when they learned that Takehito was incapable of winging her. How could he not, after watching the normally stoic woman break down in front of his eyes, crying her heart out? Although the two of them eventually came to terms with the fact, Naruto knew that Takehito was still guilt-ridden for not being able to give Miya the most important experience a Sekirei may have. And the blond himself felt bad for having encouraged Miya into such a situation.

That didn't mean that Takehito had the rights to use the blond's body as he wished.

"We had a deal, Takehito. You were supposed to keep the danger level to minimum, no matter how tempting the experiments were. I thought you were more rational than this." Naruto reproached the man with a disapproving look.

Takehito sighed in reply. But to his credit, the man looked ashamed of himself. "I apologize. I guess, I lost track of what I was doing at the prospect of turning a human into an ashikabi. Maybe I was being a bit selfish, but I didn't want what happened to us to happen again."

The two men stood in silence.

"Well, at least there weren't any backlashes. And on the good side, you'll be able to keep all your abilities of your prime until you die. Isn't this the type of power you wanted?" Takehito inquired.

"…I still wanted to be human, a shinobi, so that I could prove that I didn't need anything else to be strong…but I guess this is fine, too. It's not like it's going to give me that many super powers or anything." The young man shrugged.

* * *

"Hoh? What do I owe the honor of your visit, cockroach-san? I almost began to think that you were avoiding me on purpose." A grey haired woman smiled gently with her eyes closed. This didn't do much to hide her bloodthirsty persona, though.

Naruto _was_ in fact avoiding her. After their first encounter, he didn't want to risk clashing with her, putting his training time as well as both mental and physical health in danger. As much as he wanted to back out of this, he had no other choice because of the damned mission from the game system of his. The reward of the increased control over the Kyuubi was too tempting to decline, not to mention the slowly decreasing amount of missions meant that he couldn't afford to ignore a single mission simply because he didn't want to do it.

"I…came to ask you for a spar, Karasuba." He really couldn't believe that he was saying this with his own mouth. He wanted to avoid this kind of situation even if he became much stronger.

"I accept. Get ready to spill some blood, insect-san. I'm looking forward to watching you squirm." Her grin widened before she sensually licked her lips as though she was imagining the taste of his blood.

Naruto had to grit his teeth to hold a shiver that threatened to come over his body. For some bizarre reason, the woman just reminded him of Orochimaru. She wasn't into learning all the jutsu in the world, or into raping little boys…well, hopefully not. He wasn't sure yet. Anyways, if he had to point out a resemblance, it would be the way she obsessed over being the strongest of all the creation, or the way she never let go of her targets. It just completely freaked him out.

But unlike the snake bastard, she was pleasant to the eyes. Her silky grey hair that cascaded down her back in a ponytail, her firm body that he could admire all day long, and her hand that was holding the katana, ready to slaughter whatever that was in her way…

'Wait, what?!'

Before Naruto was able to fully grasp the situation, Karasuba unsheathed her katana and jumped toward the panicking boy with both her hands on her beloved sword. Out of sheer instincts that were instilled into him by Miya, the boy was able to pivot his way out of the swing when the grey haired woman landed in a crouch just next to him, making a large gash on the floor of the hallway with her blade.

Naruto hurriedly grabbed both his daggers from his belt and stood in a defensive stance, pointing both his blades at the woman, ready to counter at a single notice.

"You can't be serious about battling in the building?! We'll bring the entire thing down on us, dammit!" He tried to reason to no avail. She was beyond reach once her blood started to boil. The only thing that would bring her to stop her attacking frenzy was putting her out of commission…or his death.

Like hell he would allow the latter to happen. But he'd have to formulate a plan before doing anything rash. Despite having improved leaps and bounds during the past three years, he couldn't risk a careless mistake on his part, lest her blade skewered him.

"Observation."

Name: Karasuba / No.04

_Level: 59  
Specialty: Sword  
Gender: Female  
Species: Sekirei  
Condition: Frenzy_

_Intelligence: 25  
Speed: 44  
Strength: 48  
Dexterity: 99_

'Well, that's one good news. I'm at least superior in the speed department as well as some others, except for dexterity. But that was to be expected considering her expertise on swordsmanship.' He quickly deduced. Though his level wasn't quite on par with the Sekirei in the Disciplinary Squad yet, he could proudly say that he surpassed every one of them in at least three of the four stats.

_Naruto: __Lv.46 (exp: 1045/4600)_

_(0) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 78  
Speed: 63 (+28)  
Strength: 69 (+25)  
Dexterity: 53 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 46 (+5)_

Location wise, he was actually advantageous, as her katana wasn't as maneuverable as his daggers in the small hallway. But he didn't want to risk taking the entire section of the building down just because Karasuba went on a rampage. Not when he was under that same building. It hurt to lift himself out of the debris of an edifice. He did _not_ want to do that again any time soon.

Ducking a wild slash from the woman, Naruto sprinted towards her with his body still hung low. Getting a boost of speed by applying a burst of chakra to the sole of his feet, he launched himself toward Karasuba before swiping his daggers at her, one after the other. She tried to dodge by weaving out of the attacks with minimal movements as she usually did, but was nicked by the boy on the forearms, unable to dodge fully due to his superior speed.

When Karasuba was still reeling from the shock of getting damaged by the blond, Naruto hopped backwards to put a distance between them, and went through a flurry of hand signs at an unprecedented speed, ending at the snake sign.

"**Great Breakthrough**!" He yelled as he created a moderate-sized gust of wind that threw Karasuba to the end of the hallway. Despite the distance she flew back, she almost immediately regained her balance and sprang back at Naruto as soon as her feet reached the ground. But the short moment of breather was all Naruto needed to sprint to the nearest window and jump off from the second floor. Enraged by the blond's escape, Karasuba naturally chased after the boy, shattering the window open when she leaped off the building.

Naruto didn't bother looking back, instead choosing to run at the top of his speed until he deemed the distance far enough from the building. After a minute or two of sprinting, he came to a halt and turned around to face the woman who was running frantically to catch up to him and hack him into pieces. And with a flick, the blond spun the daggers into an offensive grip and summoned his wind chakra to run violently over the blades, extending the length of the dagger only slightly.

"**Vacuum Sword.**" He muttered to himself when Karasuba crashed down on the floor only a few feet away from him. The wind chakra became dense to the point that it was completely white and visible to the naked eye. And without stalling any further, Naruto swung the blade in the woman's direction, releasing large arcs of wind intended to hit the Sekirei. In a split second, Karasuba nimbly jumped over the attack, not losing any momentum as she approached the young man through the air.

Three blades clashed, creating sparks and intimidating amount of wind pressure around them, powerful enough to keep Karasuba on the air as they fought for dominance. Her grin widened when she was pushed away by the force, before she tightened the grip on her katana and started hacking it at the man with renewed vigor.

"Kyahahaha! This is _great_!" She cackled as Naruto swerved left and ducked her attacks with little difficulty. "Give me _more_. Show me more! I didn't have such a good fun in ages!"

Naruto found himself swept away in the woman's pace, not able to find the right timing to launch his own attack. The only reason he was able to last this long was due to his superior strength and speed. Karasuba's swordsmanship far surpassed his by a mile, and he found himself starting to falter the longer they clashed their blades.

"Stop being such a slimy cockroach and give me more of this feeling! This thrill! This exhilaration of battle!" She demanded when she saw that Naruto was once again distancing himself from her by leaping backwards so quickly that she couldn't close the distance easily.

Again, Naruto chose not to answer her directly. He knew that it would be a waste of his breath. So instead, he stashed away his knives and made a cross sign with his fingers, all the while staring into the woman's crazed eyes.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**." Five clones appeared within a few feet from him, before each of them went off to engage the Sekirei in battle. Three approached her from different directions, with their daggers fully charged with raging wind chakra. They slashed at her at different intervals, though with perfect harmony.

She was hard pressed to defend herself. When she blocked two daggers and dodged another pair by swerving out of their way, yet another pair of blades threatened to slash her arm off. To make things even worse, two of them stayed at the back and threw wind attacks at her one after the other. It wasn't that she was against a good challenge every now and then. But for the human she was battling to sit at the back and watch without moving a finger…it was infuriating. A growl reverberated through her throat.

Karasuba wildly swung her katana in a wide arc to ward the clones away and pushed herself from the ground with great velocity, heading straight to the boy that was standing still and watching the battle. She grinned once again when her blade was merely inches away from bashing his head open. The boy's eyes widened in surprise and wasn't able to get out of the way in time, and the crown of his head connected with the sword, only for him to poof into nothing.

Before the Sekirei could even scowl in confusion, her breath was shot short by a dagger cleanly piercing between her ribs. And with a chop to the back of her neck, she lost consciousness, crumbling face first to the ground.

Naruto eyed the woman's fallen form, making sure that she didn't stand back up.

"Well. That was anticlimactic." He sweat-dropped at such a boring way to end the battle. He didn't think that she would go down with such methods. Weren't Sekirei some super charged aliens with amazing vitality and endurance?

Naruto shrugged and leisurely left for the building, waiting for a certain window to appear.

And with a 'ping', the grey screen appeared to congratulate him.

_Mission accomplished: Defeat Karasuba in a spar_

_Reward: Access to Kyuubi's chakra  
Exp gained: 3200 exp_

Like many times in the past, another screen followed soon after.

_Level Up!  
Lv.46 - Lv.47_

And like always, he ignored it until it disappeared by itself to put his mind to more pressing matters, such as the usage of kyuubi's chakra. He knew what using the fox's chakra entailed. Heck, he'd been using up to three tails' worth during his training trip. But it was a dangerous – and painful – shit to deal with. Not to mention that the fox was a bitch when it came to lending his chakra. So it was natural that he would wonder how the game would manage to give him access to the potent chakra.

He guessed that he wouldn't be able to find anything out unless he tried, and put a halt to his trudging. Then he called for the volatile energy that was residing inside him, starting from the spiral on his stomach. The change was instantaneous. His fangs elongated, nails sharpened, whiskers darkened, eyes changed into a sinister blood red color, and his body was encased in a shroud of red energy that was bubbling with power. But the most eye catching change was the three tails of chakra swishing behind his back.

"…It doesn't feel much different." Naruto said to himself as he rolled his fingers into a fist and flexed his muscles to lightly assess the increase in power. Sure, the surge of strength and power was immense, and made him feel as if he could take on anything in the world. But it wasn't anything new since the last time he'd used it. Even the tremendous amount of hatred and malicious intent didn't seem to have decreased in the slightest.

"Did the game just…scam me?" The blond's eye twitched at the incredulous thought. "I mean, the game system _is_ a bastard, setting up all those near-impossible and suicidal missions, but it always gave me the proper rewards it was supposed to give…" He sighed and released the demonic energy from his system, returning himself to his original state.

Before he was able to do anything else, the scenery around him shifted without any warning, and he found himself in one of the places that he liked the least: his mindscape.

**"****It's been a while since we've seen face to face, hasn't it, brat?"** A deep voice rumbled.

"Kyuubi." Naruto acknowledged the fox by nodding his head in its way. "Why'd you summon me in here? I doubt it was to share pleasantries."

**"****Of course not. I have no wishes to look at your ugly mug any longer than you wish to see me." **The kyuubi lazily drawled on as he stared at the young man for any reactions. There was none. The human child definitely improved himself both physically and mentally for the past few years. The confidant boy in front of him was the proof of that. He didn't feel a waver or uncertainty from the boy steadily staring into his blood red eyes, not cowering even in the slightest from the killing intent and power emitted from his body. _Interesting_.

"Just get to the point, fox. Like you said, I don't enjoy staying in this sewer for an extended amount of time." Naruto's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

The kyuubi snorted at the boy's brazen attitude. **"You sure you want to talk to me like that, boy? Before knowing what I am about to offer you?"**

"Fine. Oh what did your grace want from this insignificant being? I am not worthy." He spoke in a monotonous tone while rolling his eyes in exasperation.

**"****Should have included the terrifying and marvelous king of the world that has no rival in power, or something of those lines, but I guess it is good enough for now."** The gigantic fox smirked, showing off his razor-sharp fangs. Naruto only returned an incredulous look that clearly said WTF. **"Pushing the dispute on my title aside, I did call you in for an important reason." **This caught Naruto's interest, indicated by his straightened posture.

**"…****I am bored." **The fox succinctly said. Naruto barely held himself from face-faulting.

"Kami, I knew that he was a self-centered, egoistical, pompous ass that believes that the world revolves around him, but this is a bit too much." He massaged his forehead as he felt a migraine coming. "Am I the stupid one for believing for just a moment that he had something reasonable to say?" He muttered to himself, though not quietly enough to stop Kurama from overhearing.

**"****What was that, brat?" **The fox growled indignantly. **"What would a puny human like you know? When I roamed around the land, there was no existence that could dare get in the way of my walk. I raised tsunamis and created earthquakes with a flick of my tail. I razed villages to the ground when a mere human irritated me-"**

"Yet you are here now, behind those bars, sealed by the 'puny humans' you looked down on so much. You can barely hurt a fly in the state you are in right now. Oh how the mighty has fallen." The blond cut off the rant in a mocking tone.

The kyuubi snarled at his words.

**"****Do not try my patience, boy. I may be caged, but there are still many ways I can torment you in." **

Though Naruto wanted to say otherwise, he held his tongue, knowing that nothing good would come out of antagonizing the biju.

**"…****Though I loathe to admit it, you are correct to an extent. Being imprisoned in a desolate mindscape for nearly a century is mind-blowingly boring. I'm so bored that I may just drive you mad just to have some entertainment." **He paused for a moment. **"Not that I would. It would get boring too quickly for my taste."**

Naruto scrunched up his eyebrows, trying to figure out what the gigantic biju was thinking. One moment he acted like an egoistical, haughty fox that believed that everything was beneath it, and the next he looked like a weary, pitiful animal that was just tired of everything.

He wondered if this was the real kyuubi, or just another facade it put on to gain some sympathy points from him.

"So what's your point?" He finally asked.

**"****Nothing too hard. Just let me out of the seal."** The kyuubi shrugged nonchalantly.

"No." The blond answered without missing a beat. "You already know that I won't let you out. Even if you can't touch Konoha anymore, I'm not willing to wait and see what you'd do to the humans in this world. As your jailor, I won't allow it." He walked up to the titanic beast and glared straight into its eyes without an ounce of fear.

**"****Meh. Can't say that I didn't expect that answer. I guess I'll have to offer something else..."**

The fox didn't look too bothered by the quick rejection. In fact, it seemed a bit too smug in Naruto's eyes. This spelled trouble for the young blond. He would have to tread a bit more carefully than he originally had thought.

"I told you that I'm not letting you out. Even if you offer me all the riches in the world, my mind will not change." He said in a firm tone, keeping a steady gaze on the beast in front of him.

**"Such an impatient brat. I wasn't asking you to let me out. I know well enough that nothing would get through that thick skull of yours once your mind is set. You proved that enough the few times we interacted in the past." Kyuubi huffed. "No, I was going to offer you a proposition that even you would find appealing." **

Naruto opted to not say anything again. He simply settled for watching the fox's every move.

Kurama ignored the young man's lack of reaction and continued speaking.

**"****I'm willing to give you free access to my chakra. All I ask in return is to allow me to see, hear and feel the things you do. At the moment I'm willing to do just about anything to get rid of this endless boredom." **

The last shinobi searched the kyuubi's form for a sign of deceit. This was almost too good to be true. A nearly incessant and volatile source of power without much hazardous power struggle between them? For such a simple price no less?

"Is this a new plot of yours? Found some sort of way to take over my body with the small access to my senses?" He scowled at the fox.

Kyuubi rolled its eyes, irritated by the stubborn boy's unwavering answer.

**"****Were you not listening to me the past five minutes I've been talking? I told you that I was bored out of my mind. You try staying confined to a bed for a century. You'll probably want to rip your finger off for entertainment." **It scoffed. **"Besides, I don't want to control your puny body anymore. Just keep your mind open just enough for me to sense things."**

Call him stubborn and difficult, but he didn't want to trust the beast so easily. Its animal body _was_ that of a fox, the icon of cunning and deviousness. Not to mention the centuries, maybe millennia worth of tricks that it learned throughout its life.

But the game system _did _offer him the kyuubi's chakra as a reward for his most recent mission. And the game always gave him what it said it would, including a dwelling he could stay in, wind jutsu that should have been extinct along with the shinobi generation, and weapons that upgraded themselves along with his growth.

These past experiences only made the kyuubi's offer more enticing, knowing that it wasn't a scam in any way. Though if there were any negative consequences, he had yet to see.

"…Fine. We can try this for now." He began speaking. "But if I sense even a slightest problem, the deal's off. Understood?"

**"****Yes, yes. You humans worry too much. Just give me enough amusement and I'll be fine." **It offhandedly said.

The blond disregarded the fox's attitude in favor to finding out how to open up the sensory connection. Though he had so confidently agreed to the proposition, he had not a single clue on how he should get about the issue. Did he will it open? Or did he have to meddle with the seal? Or was it something else entirely?

He cursed to himself when nothing seemed to work. The fox was going to have a field day with this.

"Oi, fox." He called out.

The fox grunted in a reply.

"…How…do I open up this sense-connection thing?" He gritted his teeth in annoyance when the fox started chortling at the boy's expense.

**"****After pretending to be all mature and intelligent, I guess you can't change your character that easily! Once a monkey, always a monkey, I say." **

"Shut up fox, and tell me! You want to stay bored until I die?" He retorted in irritation.

**"****Bah. Just put your fist on mine, and will your senses to be open to me." **It curled up its paw into a fist and raised it to the boundary of the prison.

Naruto stared at it warily, wondering if this was the right thing to do. And tentatively, he raised his own and bumped it to the fox's.

Red energy encompassed them both, like it did when Naruto used the biju's chakra. But the energy was much less malicious and easier to control. It was almost comforting, in fact. He let go of the last bit of the doubt he held for the deal, and allowed the powerful energy to wash over him. When he was starting to get relaxed by its presence, the kyuubi cut the power off.

**"****Finished. Now run along. I don't want to look at your ugly mug any longer."** It made a shooing gesture with its gigantic paw, before it rested its head on its arms, getting ready to take a long nap.

Though slightly peeved at the abrupt discontinuation, Naruto closed his eyes and willed himself out of the mind scape without wasting a moment longer.

When he reopened his eyes, the sun was already setting in the real world. Though the afternoon was very eventful, not much time had passed. Not that it mattered to him. He was already on his way to being, he dare say, one of the most powerful people in this world. Well, as far as he knew. As long as there weren't any other time-travelling ninjas or aliens from outer space, his spot was pretty much secured for now.

Kami, he sounded so conceited. Talking to kyuubi probably messed with his head a bit too much. Yup. It was all the kyuubi's fault. He wasn't getting a big head or anything…though being a bit more careful of his attitude doesn't sound like a bad idea right now…

He shrugged off the train of thought. This wasn't a time to be evaluating himself. He had better things to do, like checking out the newly earned skill of his.

Naruto summoned the window containing his skill set.

**_Skills:_**

_Observation (lv.22)  
Shadow clone jutsu (lv.56)  
Sexy jutsu (lv.2)  
Rasengan (lv.76)  
Henge (lv.13)  
Kawarimi (lv.32)  
Surface/water walking (lv.73)  
Wind release*  
Jinchuriki mode* _

He pressed the 'Biju mode'.

**_Jinchuriki mode:_**_Allows the user to access a tailed beast's chakra at will. Its effects can vary from physical enhancement to biju-based attacks. _

_Version 1 (lv.12) : Creates a shroud of the beast's chakra around the user.  
One-tailed 10 min (str +20, spd +10)  
Two-tailed 9 min (str +30, spd +15)  
Three-tailed 8 min (str +40, spd +20)  
Four-tailed 6 min (str +50, spd +25)  
Five-tailed 3 min (str +60, spd +30)  
Six-tailed 30 sec (str +70, spd +35)  
Seven-tailed 0 sec (str +80, spd +40)  
Eight-tailed 0 sec (str +90, spd +45)  
Nine-tailed 0 sec (str +100, spd +50)_

_Version 2 (lv.1) : The physical manifestation of the beast appears on the user's body, enveloping dark red chakra on the body. It almost seems like a miniature version of the beast. _

"Ugh. Seems like I'd have to work harder to get better at using this. Even _with_ the fox's consent, I can barely go into the six-tailed form. Though it is a great improvement from the three tails I was able to access three years ago." He mused, reminiscing of the past.

Since his schedule was already full, he decided that he would lighten the load of wind release training, and use that time to work on managing kyuubi's chakra instead. If he wanted to get to the nine-tailed form, he had a long road ahead of him, not to mention the other quirks the jinchuriki mode would bring him.

He broke out of his thoughts and dashed towards the edge of the island, excited to do a yet new exercise that would bring him closer to his goal.

* * *

_**On the Next Chapter:**_

_"__You can call me N. Assassin. Highest caliber you could ever find." He gruffly spoke to the plump man. _

_"__That's what everyone says. How do I know that you're the real deal?" The plump man cockily asked. _

_Before the head director could even blink, Naruto appeared behind the man's back and put one dagger on his throat, and the other on his chest, right over the heart. _

_"__That good enough for you? Or do you want more?" The masked blond unleashed some of his killing intent as he spoke intimidatingly. _

_The plump man's breath hitched, trying to pull away from the blades to no avail. _

_"__I-I'm good. Sorry for doubting you, good sir." He replied pitifully, in a squeaky tone._

* * *

_**A/N: Again, I'm not sure when the next update will be, but please keep tuned!**_

_**-Yuna the Ninja-**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Finally uploaded the long due chapter! Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**2 Years Time Skip **

"Land! Oh how I've missed you, land!"

A blond collapsed on the ground, intent on not leaving it for a long time to come. He spread his arms and legs out, and began rubbing his whiskered cheeks on the floor with disturbing vigor.

"Ahh! Not having to use chakra to stand on the surface is the best! I'm never leaving you again!"

_Mission Accomplished: Escape Kamikura Island_

_Reward: Beginner's guide to medical jutsu  
Exp gained: 5250 exp_

_Level Up!  
Lv.62 - Lv.63_

"Damn the enticing mission! I almost died several times because of this! The helicopters, Karasuba chasing me like a madwoman, and the fucking never-ending sea!" He wailed as he turned and lay down on his back. "I would have ditched this mission only if they weren't so scarce nowadays…and with such a high exp gain and nice reward, I couldn't back down…"

**"****Walk a bit into the city and do the same thing, won't ya? It will be so entertaining to watch you completely humiliate yourself in front of so many eyes." **A voice in the young man's head chuckled at his plight.

"Shut up, Kurama. Let's see _you_ running on the sea for days, almost non-stop." He growled.

**"****I don't ****_need_**** to run on top of the sea for days, you hairless monkey. The water will part ways even before I let my paw down. My presence will create waves that crash upon the other creatures, though the center – where I am – would be tranquil."** The fox boasted.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the chakra beast's repertoire. Even after years of contact with him, the pompous fox stayed exactly that. Pompous. His self praising never diminished, either.

But the blond could see where Kurama was coming from. The fox's strength, even the partial power Naruto could access through his body, was tremendous.

That wasn't a good enough reason to act like an ass, though.

"Whatever, you damn fox." He stood up and undid all the clinks in his joints. "I guess I should leave, though. Can't be lying here forever."

He plopped himself back up and started running again. But before he was able to go too far, a translucent screen appeared in front of his face.

"Hm? A mission already? Wow, maybe coming out here _was _a good idea."

_Mission: Find your first job _

_Reward: Money_

"…Well that was very descriptive." He sweat-dropped. It was the vaguest, yet the most obvious mission he had received since he arrived in this world.

It wasn't as if he weren't going to look for a job, though. He knew the necessity of currency, even if he lived in an isolated island for the past five years. His human teachers taught him better than that.

**"****You're a ninja, brat. You don't need those money or any of the rules that the weak create. Just steal and kill all that you need." **Kurama spoke as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Even as a ninja, I still have morals that I follow. I'm not going to shun humanity just because you're in my gut, Kurama."

**"****Yeah, yeah. I get it. You're the 'hero' type that cannot condone a single bad deed, yada yada yada." **He replied in a bored tone

The man's brows furrowed.

"You know that it's not like that. It's just that life would be boring if there were no limiters. It's not like this world is full of strong people to fight." He explained. "Shinobi aren't hero material, anyway."

He swiped the mission screen away without putting a halt to his run. But before he could run in an absentminded state again, another screen popped up.

_You received a map. Follow this to find your job._

"Huh. So I don't get to choose what job I take?" He swiped the screen off again. "Meh. At least I'm guaranteed a job this way." He opened up his inventory to check out his new map.

**_Inventory:_**

_-Disciplinary Squad members profile  
-Beginner's guide to wind manipulation  
-Wind manipulation scroll intermediate level  
-Wind manipulation scroll advanced level  
-Disciplinary Squad uniform x3  
-Emergency Medical Kit  
-Poison Collection Kit  
-Green Tea x15  
-Sandwich x10  
-Onigiri x12  
-Beginner's guide to Medical jutsu  
-Map: Shinto Teito_

The inventory was fuller than it usually was, as he stored some food and received two new items.

Speaking of food, he'd have to search for a ramen stand soon. He was showing signs of ramen withdrawal for missing out on it for five years.

He put his hand inside the inventory and pulled out the map, untied the red ribbon holding it together, then unfurled the scroll-like map.

The map itself wasn't too different from the ones he'd seen during his time in the elemental nations. There were roads, buildings, mountains and sea, all recognizable even without additional education. But if he were to point out a difference...there were just _too many_ streets on this map. Of all things the humans chose to improve, they _had_ to create a labyrinth out of the roads.

He sighed when he felt a certain fox laugh at him in his head. Cutting the connection off in annoyance, Naruto dismissed the inventory screen and clutched the map on his left hand. Then he resumed running at the direction he was running in.

When the blond finally reached an asphalt street, he climbed the nearest lamp post to check the vicinity. Not much was really ascertained due to its low altitude, because all he could see was roads and few blocks of buildings. But he _was _able to conjecture where a city seemed to be located from the increasing number of buildings down the road. So following the most logical line of choice, he ran toward that direction. Whether it was the correct city or not didn't matter to him. He could ride one of those…'taxi' things and ditch before he had to make payment. He was a ninja, after all. Deception and stealing was his specialty.

As expected, the desolate grassland soon disappeared and was replaced with more buildings and skyscrapers. A few 'cars', something of a replacement for horses according to his teachers, passed him by a few times. Their speed was pretty impressive. For civilians without any chakra, that is. He could outpace them any time he wanted.

"That…probably won't be a good idea, though." He shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was grab attention. He had to slow his pace to that of a 'normal person', meaning that he couldn't use chakra to travel anymore. Which sucked. Big time.

His run now turned into a quick paced walking, as he approached an area that was bustling with civilians and cars. The place somewhat reminded him of Konoha, full of life and people. After living in near solitude, interacting with less than ten people for five years, it was a nice change.

'Now only if I can find where the destination is…' He mused, rolling open the map that was crunched in his left hand.

"Yup. I still have no idea where the hell I am." He chirped to no one in particular.

Standing in the middle of the road, Naruto looked around the edifice that were surrounding him. How civilians with no tracking skills could find their way through such a confusing city, he'd never know. The buildings of the city were almost completely identical, save for some of the signboards and slight bits of decoration. It would probably be the best for him to memorize the area…if this _was_ the correct city he was supposed to be in, that is. He sighed in frustration.

When he was going over some things in his mind, a car sped towards him in an alarming speed, honking for him to get out of the way. Not really seeing the vehicle as a threat, Naruto just stood still, not even bothering to turn his face to the car.

Panicking at the lack of response, the driver stomped on the break and steered the handle away from the young man. And as it would for any other normal cars, the car crashed into the side of a building, creating a pillar of thick smoke slowly dispersing into the air.

Naruto blinked.

'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stand still…maybe _this_ was what those teachers meant by not standing in the middle of the asphalt road? Huh. You learn new things every day.'

A crowd was beginning to gather at the sound of a car accident. A cue for him to make himself sparse. He felt bad for the man...but not enough for him to care.

Fleeing from the scene by hiding in the crowd, Naruto wandered around the district without a specific destination. It was then that he came to catch a sniff of something familiar.

'No, _that_ can't be here, of all places...can it?!' His eyes widened in disbelief. Charging chakra in his feet, Naruto pushed off the ground at a speed that put modern cars to shame. He didn't care for the confusion he'd cause the civilians. It wasn't important any longer, not when he was so close to finding _that_...!

"It's here..." He muttered in awe. His eyes bore into the young woman that was busy working, oblivious to the crisis that was about to befall her.

The shinobi took a deep breath, calming his erratic heart, and willed himself to go inside and sit on the stool.

"Three chicken and two beef ramen, please! And keep'em coming!" He ordered.

The blond man was giddy beyond comprehension, nearly enough to bounce on the chair like a hyperactive child. To think that he'd find the food of the gods in this place…it was good to be alive.

He happily slurped the noodles as soon as the bowl touched the stand. His hands didn't stop moving for a moment, and he was able to lick clean the first bowl in thirty seconds. People around him stared at him in sick fascination. Not that he gave a damn. He grabbed the second bowl of chicken miso and drank out of it, not even bothering to use chopsticks this time.

"Mmh!" He called with noodles still in his mouth. After swallowing with an audible gulp, he opened his mouth again. "Get me one of each type of ramen you have!"

"Um, sir?" The lady tentatively spoke. "Our stand has fifteen types of ramen…are you certain that you want to order all?"

Naruto finished another bowl as if to prove his point. "Just bring it out. Preferably before I finish the ones in front of me." Then he dug in again before the girl could say anything else.

Ten minutes and seventeen bowls later, the blond realized that despite the amount of missions he'd been doing on the island, he had never received money for a reward. For anything, actually. He never had a reason to use money on the island. In other words, he had not a single coin on him. He didn't even know the currency of the country.

He furtively turned his gaze to the man sitting next to him.

'No bag, no coat or jacket on person. Which means that the only possible place to store a wallet is...'

With great finesse and experience, Naruto slid his hand inside of the man's pants pocket and plucked out a leather wallet.

'Yup! Still got it~' He smirked before opening the wallet to make the payment.

"Here you go. All sixteen thousand yen." He proudly presented the money on the stool and flashed an accomplished smile at the woman. She just stared at him weirdly, thinking that the customer was one of the most eccentric ones to ever visit.

"Ahhh, that really hit the spot." He patted his full stomach in contentment. That was bound to keep him satisfied for...another day or two. Probably.

Anyway, now that his stomach was filled and fatigue worn off, it was time to proceed with the mission. 'Well, as soon as I find out where I am and where I need to go.' He reminded himself.

He wandered around some more, then grabbed a young teenager passing by. The boy panicked for some reason, and frantically looked left and right for help.

'Interesting reaction. Do I look that intimidating? Or is it my clothes? Now that I look at it, it is a bit different from what the civilians here are wearing.' He quietly mused.

"U-umm. Me...I-I don't spoke...speak English." A black haired teen stuttered in a foreign language to him.

"Uhh...what?" Naruto raised his golden eyebrow. "I speak Japanese just fine, boy."

The teenager's stiffened body relaxed visibly.

"Sorry. I..I studied really hard and I know that I can read and write English just fine, but...when I thought that I was speaking to a real foreigner, I...blanked out." He laughed sheepishly.

Naruto waved it off with his right hand. It's not like he knew the language in the first place.

"It's fine. You can forget about it. Anyway, I have a question I'd like to ask."

"O-oh. Of course. Ask away." The boy shyly replied as he fidgeted with his fingers.

Naruto momentarily eyed the spineless boy, and showed him the map the blond was having so much trouble with.

"Could you point out where exactly we are in this map? And if possible, how to get to the building circled in red? I arrived at this city just today, and I'm afraid I do not quite know where I am." Naruto coolly explained the situation, leaving only the bare necessity information for the boy to process.

The said boy quickly looked around their surrounding and stared intensely at the map. Then he pointed his index finger at a specific spot on the map.

"Right now, we're around here. I guess you could call it the East side of Shinto Teito? The place you want to go is around the South side, meaning that you should probably take a cab there or something. I can't really point the direction for you, though. Sorry..." The boy's gaze turned to his toes.

"Nah- It's alright. Thanks for answering my questions. You were a great help to me. See you around!" Naruto chirped, though he had no desire to meet such a meek person again.

He walked out to the streets and looked at the cars speeding to their next destination without a hint of stopping. Naruto wondered how he was going to get a taxi's attention and ride it. Was he supposed to jump on front of it? Or stop it with his strength?

He crinkled his eyes in annoyance. Those damned human teachers of his should have taught him something as important as this. Just because he and many other Sekirei have the ability to run really quickly didn't mean that they wouldn't ride taxis. Those people always made him take things into his own hands. How troublesome.

He came to the conclusion that it would be best if he stared at other civilians getting on cars. It wasn't as if he had any better idea.

* * *

"So this is the place?" Naruto scrutinized the building, impressed by the size of the edifice. It was much bigger and more grandiose than most of the other buildings in the city. That meant that his client-to-be was most likely to be rich…with a high probability of being a pompous ass.

Speaking of clients, he didn't even _know_ his.

"Am I supposed to go inside the building and ask around _everyone_ to see if they needed a person to do some random job? How irresponsible can the game system get?" He grumbled at the unfairness of it all. This would not only make him look like a crazy hobo looking for a job, but also a suspicious person who was prone to get thrown out by the securities of the building.

A small window popped out, as if answering to the man's complaints.

_You received a hint. Follow this to find your client._

He raised his eyebrow at the sudden appearance of help.

"Huh. So the game _did _make a blunder. To forget something this important until I pointed it out…this thing is getting more unreliable as more time passes." Naruto huffed and opened his inventory to pull out the new hint.

Client: Mouto Kamashura

Location: Top floor of the Kamashura Co. building.  
Job Type: Assassination

"…That's it?" He turned the small slip of paper to look at the other side, to see nothing but a blank sheet. "So much for extra help. Well, at least I know where to go now." He shrugged.

Looking at the client's photo, Naruto could tell that this man was a stereotypical rich man who thought that money could take care of everything, and that he was superior to almost everything in the world. He could just see it from the fat man's licentious and greedy smile.

Naruto couldn't believe that he was going to work for such a guy, a person like that bastard Gato. But it couldn't be helped since the game nearly forced him to do so. But…that didn't mean that he couldn't have some fun scaring the guy. It was probably well-deserved, anyways. Just a little bit of makeover here and there, coupled with a slight killing intent wouldn't hurt…himself, that is. The client, not so much.

"Henge." With a single hand sign, Naruto's appearance changed somewhat. Though his height stayed the same 6'1, his blond hair elongated to his neckline, causing his normally spikey mane to straighten into smooth and silky hair. He also had a mask obscuring everything but his eyes, just like what Kakashi used to where back in Konoha. His Disciplinary Squad uniform changed into a completely black set of clothes that showed off his lean muscles that were created for pure speed and strength. On his belt were two daggers that he carried around everywhere. Overall, he didn't really change himself too much other than his hair and clothes, because he really wasn't bothered to. It wasn't as if he wanted to _really_ hide his identity from anyone. He just wanted to give the client a little scare, nothing more.

Going into full stealth mode, Naruto scaled up the wall of the building at high speeds. It didn't hurt that the building wasn't located in a place where a lot of citizens passed by. In less than ten seconds, Naruto reached the top of the building, where he could look down at the entire city. But without stopping for the view, he slunk down to the window beneath him, going straight into the client's office.

"Good afternoon." Naruto spoke in a low tone right behind the fat man's chair.

The unsuspecting man clutched his paperwork in surprise and whipped his head around to stare at the shinobi's black-clad form. "W-who are you? How did you get in here?"

His tone was full of fear and dread. _Good_. At least this one knew his place.

"You can call me N. Assassin. Highest caliber you could ever find." He gruffly spoke to the plump man. "I heard that you were looking for a certain service from my kind."

The obese man visibly relaxed in his chair, though with a slight hint of wariness. "How did you hear of this? I have never told anyone of the need for this…service."

"I have my ways. Now, are you willing to hire me or not?" He continued speaking in the monotonous voice that he came to learn was a great way for petrifying others.

"…I am not going to hire a stranger that suddenly appears in my room, pretending to own the entire place. There are plenty of others that I can trust to handle these problems just fine." The plump man crossed his arms in an attempt to control the pace at his will. Let it be known that it backfired big time.

"Oh? Are you sure that you want to throw away this chance because of your petty pride of a rich man? You won't be able to find an assassin as accomplished as me anywhere in this world."

"That's what everyone says. How do I know that you're the real deal?" The plump man cockily asked.

Before the head director could even blink, Naruto appeared behind the man's back and put one dagger on his throat, and the other on his chest, right over the heart.

"That good enough for you? Or do you want more?" The masked blond unleashed some of his killing intent to make his intimidation more effective.

The plump man's breath hitched, trying to pull away from the blades to no avail.

"I-I'm good. Sorry for doubting you, good sir." He replied pitifully, in a squeaky tone.

Naruto held the urge to chuckle. It was always satisfying to put greedy fools in their places. He allowed a smirk to take place on his lips, but kept his eyes cool and aloof. It wouldn't do to allow the man think that he was off the hook, after all.

"Now then, the job?" He continued speaking laconically.

"O-oh. The job. Right." His fattened hands reached for the drawers and took out a thin folder, which he opened straight away. "This is the target." He pointed at a photo of an old man. "He's the president of the accursed Hitoshira inc. That man always took-"

Naruto cut the man off with a cold reply. "That's all I need to know. There is no need for me to learn of your squabbles. I will return when the job is completed." And with a quick series of hand signs, he vanished in a flurry of leaves, leaving the flabbergasted man behind.

* * *

Now that Naruto knew how to ride a taxi, finding the next destination was much easier than before. Humanity had really outdone itself in creating something as useful as the taxi system. He no longer had to spend hours on the road, lost in the maze they called a city. Though it slightly wound his pride as a ninja to rely on civilian vehicles to get from one place to another, he decided that it didn't really matter because he was new to the place. He could display plenty of stealth and finesse when he infiltrate and kill the target, anyway.

According to Matsu, he would have to be extremely cautious when sneaking into a building, especially that of high importance, because there are cameras installed in almost every room and corridor. What he had to fight were not guards or workers, but the cameras themselves. And since there weren't anyone like Matsu that could back him up by turning those things off, he had to do things the hard way: somehow avoid all the cameras and kill the target. To boot it off, he had to make it seem like a natural death, too.

It was so much easier back in his days when all he had to do was enter the target's room and slice his neck off.

Naruto sighed and flicked open the file he received earlier. There was an awful lot of information in it, including the man's looks, locations, family, secretaries, favorite food, drinks…and the list went on for a while.

'Did that man really have nothing better to do? Wasting his time and money on gathering such information…it wasn't as if knowing who the target's secretary would help me kill…him…!' Naruto suddenly came to a realization and traced back his finger to where the data on the secretary was, and perused it once more. 'Stupid me. Stupid. Stupid…_of_ _course_ I could use this to my advantage…'

He henged himself into a non-descriptive businessman and stored all his weapons back in the inventory.

He then confidently opened the main door and entered the building, and went straight to the toilet on the first floor. And he swiftly chopped the back of the neck of a random man washing his hands. Once again making sure that no one was watching, Naruto dragged the body to one of the stalls, then tied the man's hands with ninja wire and taped his mouth shut, in case he woke up sooner than expected. He created a single shadow clone as well, just to make sure that nothing went astray while he was on his mission. The original then henged as the man that he knocked out and left the stall, leaving his clone to close and lock the door.

* * *

Naruto's clone stood awkwardly in the cramped stall, glancing at the downed man every once in a while.

"Boss…you better finish quickly, cuz it is freakin uncomfortable to stay in a stall…with another man….who is all tied up and gagged. Kami, what did I ever do to you to make me suffer such a fate?" He quietly sobbed to himself.

* * *

Naruto walked into the elevator and pressed the button to the seventeenth floor, the second floor from the top. When the door reopened, he was greeted with the sight of a commodious room with a single person sitting on a large desk with piles of paperwork on it.

Before doing anything rash, Naruto glanced around the room. On the edge of the ceiling was one security camera that was focused on the desk and probably covered most of the room with the exception of the area near the wall the camera was attached near. He had no other choice than to lure the secretary to the edge in order to successfully finish the mission.

Naruto approached him, still fully in henge.

"Secretary-san. There seems to be some problems concerning the documents that need to be sent to the president by this afternoon. Could you perhaps come down to look it over?"

The secretary raised his head and stared at the nearing person. "Isn't checking and editing the job of the district's chief? Why bother coming all the way here to ask me?" He inquired.

Naruto was taken aback by the question. He hadn't thought that far. Actually, it was more correct to say that he didn't know what exactly a secretary did. Thinking on his toes, Naruto replied. "The...president's personal view! For this project to reach its fullest potential, we need to take account the president's view of this. But since it is not easy to approach him, we came to a consensus that asking you would be the best choice."

The secretary scrutinized the man that was standing in front of him, still not entirely convinced. "I too, am a very busy person. But only for today, I will look over the project. From now on, please try to take care of things inside the team."

Naruto sighed in relief when the secretary stood up and walked towards him. When je was near the door, Naruto grabbed the man's wrist and pulled him to the side, before strangling him until his body went limp.

"This...better worth the trouble. It was so much easier when all I had to do was avoid the guards and throw attacks..." He muttered while holding his hands up in a sign, transforming into the secretary. He then created a shadow clone to look like the worker he henged into previously and left the room together.

Naruto sent his clone back to the washroom in the first floor to relieve both his clones of their jobs. He, on the other hand, went down to the restaurant in the building to receive a slice of cheesecake and a cup of high-grade coffee. And on his way to the elevator, he added in the coffee an odorless poison that acts up an hour after consumption, though not without making sure that there were no bystanders or cameras.

"President-san. I brought you some refreshments. Please take a short respite from all these work. I'm genuinely worried for your health, sir." Naruto stated in a worried tone as he put down the tray on the old man's desk. Of course, inside, he was laughing his ass off at the irony of the statement.

"Ah, Kurou-san. Good timing. I was starting to tire from the workload. But I doubt that anyone works harder than you. Be this old man's company for a while, won't you?" He smiled gently, as a grandfather would to a child. Too bad he wasn't going to live much longer.

"I apologize, president-san, but I have piles of documents to go over…I might even have to spend the night here. Maybe next time, sir." He declined in a polite tone and bowed his head in apology.

The old man waved it off with a kind smile. "Maah, maah. I understand. I should get back to work soon, too. Then I'll see you at dinner?"

Naruto barely held in a smirk. "Yes, sir. _Of course_ I'll see you at dinner. But until then, please enjoy your break, sir."

* * *

"The sudden death of Hitoshira Inc.'s president, Satoshi Hitoshira, shocked everyone in the company. His physique was said to be normal until lunchtime, when he greeted many of his employees. The cause of his decease is currently thought to be stress overload and bad habitual lifestyle. The Hitoshira Inc. is currently-" The television was turned off by a chubby man, wearing a pleased smile on his face.

And just in time, a familiar ding rang in front of the blond man.

_Mission Accomplished: Find your first job - Assassination_

_Reward: five million yen  
Exp gained: 1100 exp_

"Well? Satisfied?" Naruto was back in his mask that covered up half of his lower face. Standing in front of his client again, he wanted to be smug and rub it all over the chubby man's face, but decided against it and opted to keep up his stoic persona.

"H-hai. That was extremely quick indeed. And efficient. I am…really impressed, N. I am looking forward to continue working with you, if you don't mind." The man's tone was kept mostly polite, though he wasn't able to fully curb the haughty attitude of his, even in the presence of the elite assassin.

Naruto held his hand out, asking for his pay. "We'll see. Now, the payment?" He spoke in a gruff tone that prompted the president of the company to move more hastily and quickly than usual.

"Here you go. 5,000,000 yen (approximately $50,000) in total." He put down a briefcase on his desk and opened it, showing it to be full of grey paper notes.

Naruto closed the briefcase without any showing signs of surprise, and brought it to his side. "I guess we'll be doing more business in the future, then."

"W-wait! How will I contact you?" The pudgy man hurriedly asked the fleeting blond.

"I'll return when I am needed. Until later, then." He disappeared once again in a swirl of leaves.

"…Does he disappear in leaves just to spite me?" The chubby man grunted. "Someone clean up this mess!" He called over his employees.

* * *

Naruto, wearing his standard Disciplinary Squad uniform again, sat down on a bench in a park, and pondered on what he should do next. He surmised that there won't be any more missions in the next few days or so, seeing that he had two consecutive missions in one day. Which meant that this would probably be the best time for him to settle down and train some more, especially since he now had access to medical jutsu.

But his priority would be getting a house, preferably somewhere away from the bustling city, then getting a new set of civilian clothes. From the way pedestrians stared at him while he was walking down the road, his attire attracted way too much attention. He didn't mind the interested looks of others, but he did worry about the MBI tracking him down…especially Minaka, that crazy bastard. So until then, he'd have to stick wearing the uniform only when he was in secluded areas.

The next important thing in line was learning to blend in with the humans…or going in seclusion, again. He found the latter rather distasteful, as he craved some interaction with people…people who don't have a penchant for destroying every little thing that annoy them. Which, he believed, meant that he had to buy many things including televisions, computers, and…and…and other things that people might use.

Naruto sighed at his lacking knowledge and information. Kami, he had a long way to go.

First things first. He needed to get a place to live in. The blond stood up and started to leisurely walk out of the park.

Then he suddenly realized something. He didn't know how he was supposed to buy a house. It wasn't as if he could walk in a store and pick a house...

"Damn you teachers for not teaching me how to live in the real world!" He cried out to the sky, his fist shaking by his side.

* * *

**4 Years Time Skip**

A young man looked over the city of Shinto Teito, standing atop of a tall building. It was a sight to behold. The young man, that is.

He had silky golden hair that slid diagonally across his face, concealing his right eye and a part of his cheek. On the uncovered side of his cheek were three tattoo-like lines that resembled an animal's whiskers. His jaw was chiseled without an ounce of fat, but his skin was smooth and unblemished, with no scars or facial hair. But the most mesmerizing part of his face was his eyes. His uncovered left eye was bright sapphire blue, swirling with much loneliness and mirth at the same time. His right eye that peeked through his bangs only once in a while, was also a shade of blue, though of a darker hue. Coupling those traits with his lithely muscled body, he gave off an ambience of an ancient fox: feral and elegant.

"Haah. Life is getting a tad boring." Naruto shook his head, allowing the golden hair to sway in the wind. "Training, eating and sleeping, with an occasional assassination or information gathering mission…with stingy exp and rewards, no less. The pay is good and all, but…" He sighed. "Even I have a limit to how much a person can train non-stop..."

Naruto left the building and walked around aimlessly, trying to burn off some time and boredom. When he came out of his half-dazed state, he was greeted by the smell of his favorite food.

"It's amazing and scary at the same time how my legs find way to this stall even without prompting to. But since I'm here already..." He lifted the flap and entered the ramen stall. "Hey, Zana-san! Start me off with three beef!"

A cute girl with a long black ponytail amicably greeted the blond. "Good afternoon, Naruto-san. Haven't seen you in a while. I was getting worried, you know?" She spoke in a teasing tone as she placed three bowls in front of the man.

"Maah, maah. It's only been three days, you know? How much of a ramen glutton do you take me for?" He chuckled good naturedly.

"Well, you practically worship the food...isn't that saying enough about you?" She giggled at the blond's pouting face, which he somehow pulled while continuously eating noodles.

A message screen emerged with a ding, as sudden as always.

_Mission: Greet all the residents of the Izumo Inn_

_Reward: New residence_

Because of the constant manifesting of random windows, Naruto had learned to check the messages without looking directly at the screen, and continue what he was previously doing, reading the message from the corner of his vision. Even for a ninja, this was a hard feat to achieve. Sensing attacks or people without looking was one thing, but reading text was a completely different problem. So Naruto was really proud of this ability of his.

However, despite the arduous training to suppress his outward reactions down, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise and reread the mission, even pausing his consumption of ramen as he did so.

'Izumo Inn…That's Miya and Takehito's house, if I remember correctly. Hah! It's as if the game system's reacting to my about-to-burst boredom gauge. Well, as long as I get to have some entertainment, who am I to complain?' A smirk crept onto his lips.

"Is something the matter?" Zana asked in concern. With good reason, too. There weren't many things that could stop Naruto from inhaling his ramen, after all. He even learned to enunciate with his mouth full of noodles, just so that he didn't have to interrupt his 'intimate session' with his favorite food. Having seen how far the man went to eat his precious ramen without interruption, his cessation of eating only spelled for trouble on the woman's part.

"Umm, no. It's just that…I remembered something really important to do." He grinned at the Japanese woman. "But it's not going to deter me from eating another dozen bowls of ramen or so! Bring on the next batch!"

"Hai, hai. Every dish on the menu, coming right up!"

* * *

Naruto stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked towards the north side of Shinto Teito. Although he would normally ride cars or run to his destination if it was quite a distance away, the blond didn't see any reason to hurry at the moment and walked at a leisurely pace.

It wasn't that he wasn't excited to see Miya and Takehito. Quite the contrary, actually. But he wanted to think things over. Calm his mind and all that. It has been two years since he last saw them, and four since he last interacted with them. Because they looked so infatuated with each other the last time he checked on them, he decided against bothering the happy couple.

But now, apparently, they were taking residents in, so he didn't have to feel too bad about intruding. Maybe he could tease them now that they were officially together…?

The blond let his creative mind tinker with the idea all the while he was walking to his destination.

When he finally reached the traditional Japanese dwelling, he creak opened the gate and knocked the front door of the house. It was an understatement to say that Naruto was shocked to see the door open to show a demure lavender haired woman who was kindly smiling at him.

"Hello. This is the Izumo Inn. Can I help you?" Her voice was small and high pitched, her face kind and amiable, and her hands on her thighs like a traditional Japanese wife. Her Disciplinary Squad uniform was no longer draping her frame, but rather a white and lavender colored yukata that hugged her form quite nicely. She didn't even have a katana on her. Naruto was completely and thoroughly taken aback at the change, and he couldn't help but gape and stare at her for a short while.

"U-um…Sorry. I think I came to the wrong place." Naruto tentatively took a few steps backwards. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here too suddenly. He wasn't ready to take in so many changes at once. Could he perhaps run away before she notices that he's not a stranger? ...Nope. Too late. She was already linking the hints together.

Miya narrowed her eyes slightly as though she was thinking something through, and widened her eyes when she came to a realization. "Naruto...kun? Is that you, Naruto-kun?!" She approached him in short and hasty steps.

The blond stopped his retreat and smiled awkwardly at the woman, raising a hand halfway as a greeting. "Uh, hey there Miya-chan. Long time no see, eh?"

Then she did something unexpected. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, burying her nose in the shinobi's chest.

"I missed you, Naruto-kun. When you disappeared suddenly that day, I…" She tightened her arms around his waist, unable to continue speaking due to a deluge of emotions.

Naruto, on the other hand, had a mental shut down. It was just one shock after another, and the last one was too much for him to process in his brain, even with his high intelligence stats. When he finally rebooted his mind, he stiffly returned the hug with one hand, leaving the other hand dangling on his side.

"There, there. I'm sorry, okay? I had some urgent things to take care of outside the island, so I couldn't leave with a goodbye…" He patted her back and comfortingly whispered into her ear. "But I'm back now, aren't I? All in one piece, too." He jokingly said in a cheeky tone and tried to separate himself from the woman to look at her face, but she didn't budge in the slightest.

'Strange. Since when was she so emotional and clingy? Her appearance, too…I can barely recognize her as the Miya I once knew anymore. Just what did she do during the past four years?'

"Uhh, Miya? You want to, uh, get off me now? I doubt that Takehito's going to like this scene if he walks in on us."

He felt her arms slacken, though she didn't do anything to move herself away from him.

"Naruto-kun...Takehito...Takehito isn't here any more." She croaked.

"Oh." He couldn't say anything else. He didn't know what he should do, either. But after a moment of contemplation, he pulled her closer to him and protectively held her waist with one hand and cradled her head in another. "I'm sorry for not being there for you, Miya. I promise you that I won't leave you alone again, so please don't be sad." He consoled her in a soft tone. Neither dared to break the embrace, opting to enjoy the momentary peace and solace in the warmth of the other's body.

The comforting atmosphere was broken by a gasp.

"H-how...what…w-who…?" A brunette pointed a finger at the pair, going far as shaking in astonishment. "Aahhhhh! Some hot stud is hugging Miyaaaa!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

When Naruto was about to ask Miya who the girl was, he was amazed to find her out of his arms and in front of the new girl in an instant. Her face was now completely devoid of the previous anguish, and a pleasant smile adorned her face again. Though why that smile seemed familiar, he didn't know.

"Uzume-san." Miya called the brunette girl, black and purple miasma pouring out of her body.

'Oh, so _that's_ why it was so familiar. It was the preparation stage for the hannya mask thing. Of course she'd learn that from Takehito.' Naruto sweat-dropped.

"What did I tell you about wearing improper clothes when coming out of your room?" She threatened, her killing intent getting stronger by the second.

The blond did a double take. True to Miya's words, the girl was wearing nothing but her undergarments. How he noticed it only now, he didn't know. He must be losing his touch.

"Ummmm….not to?" Sweat was now poring out of her entire body, enough to see visible droplets of sweat even from where he was standing. "Bu-but Miya…you were doing 'lewd acts' yourself! Y-you shouldn't punish me when you were breaking the rules as well…" She retorted somewhat meekly.

The monstrous mask finally appeared in front of Uzume's face. "This…was a hug of reunion. It was completely platonic and pure. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Miya." Uzume shrunk back and replied in a shaky tone, before hightailing it out of their sights.

As soon as the girl conceded, the mask along with the oppressive aura disappeared without a trace. Miya turned on her heels and faced Naruto again.

"Do you want to come in, Naruto-kun?" She inquired in a cheery tone. Although it was posed as a question, the look in her eyes said otherwise. Naruto inwardly shrugged. It wasn't as if he was planning on doing anything else. Not to mention that it would be plain rude to leave a friend hanging after so many years of staying apart.

He conveniently forgot about planning to slam the door and run away right in front of Miya's face, which was a much ruder action to take.

"Of course, Miya-chan. I want to hear all about what happened while I was gone." He replied as he followed the woman into the house.

Before he was able to fully inspect the interior of the inn, the sound of footsteps tumbling down the stairs stopped him short.

"Miya! What was that about you hugging someone?!" A tall woman in purple dress shouted from the stairs, gripping the rails and looking down at the pair. "Could it be, love~?" She put both her hands on her cheeks and squirmed, a blush already adorning her face. Though whether it was caused by the actual thought of romance or by alcohol consumption, he didn't know.

A tick mark formed on Miya's forehead. "It is nothing of the sort, _public obscenity_. I am but a pure maiden, unlike you and Uzume-san. It was simply a hug of reunion. Look for yourself." She huffed.

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Miya?" She stared at the blond man that stood behind Miya. She didn't really know any blonds except for that kid back in the island...but he had spikey hair and whis...kers…

Her eyes widened in realization and stood amazed in the drastic change in the man's appearance, despite not having aged in the slightest since they last met.

"Foxy-kun~! It's been too long~!" She jumped down the stairs and lunged for the man without wasting a single second. The only thing that kept Naruto on his feet was his supreme strength stat. He was really thankful for it too, because he would've seemed pathetic if he couldn't handle holding a single woman, supercharged alien or not.

"Kazehana, the least you could when seeing a friend after so long is call me by my actual name…" He chided the woman who was still snuggling into his arms.

"But_ foxy-kun_, then it would be no fun~" She whined as she not-so-discreetly pushed her _assets _onto his arm.

"Kazehana-san." Miya articulated every syllable of the name in a tone that brought shivers to the spine. "No illicit behaviors are tolerated in the Izumo Inn. Or do you perhaps wish to sleep outside the inn tonight?" Her eyes sparkled in a red, predatory gaze.

Kazehana slowly let go of Naruto's hand and backed away ever so slightly. "Ahahaha...Your face is so scary, Miya.

She wanted to retort that Miya's previous actions weren't much different than what she was doing now, but opted against it seeing that the landlady would only give harsher punishments to her.

"I'll go get some tea. You can show him to the living room and go back to where you came from. We don't need a public obscenity like you dirtying our conversation." She addressed the wind user with a strange mixture of polite and scathing tone. Despite her different outward attitude, it seemed like her blunt and hurtful side hadn't changed in the slightest.

"Hai, hai." Kazehana waved her away. Then she spoke in a hushed voice so that only Naruto could hear. "As if I would do that. Come, foxy-kun. I'll show you how a real lady treats a guest." She giggled before grabbing the man's wrist and dragging him upstairs. Or she tried to, for her part. Instead, she found herself rebounded back to Naruto's side.

"Woah! Hey, Kazehana! Even if I haven't seen Miya for a long while, I doubt that she takes kindly to disobeying her direct orders..." He tried to reason.

"But foxy-kun, don't you want to get a tour of the inn? My room, especially?" She circled her fingertips on his chest, teasing him as she did countless of times before.

Naruto stood in contemplation. On one hand, he didn't want to get on Miya's bad side from day one. But on the other hand, he wanted to annoy her badly, because there was nothing more satisfying than watching the reactions of the previously stoic Sekirei. Being able to show Kazehana how much he changed was only a bonus.

"Well, if it's a tour that you're offering, I guess I can't really decline it. So where to, _hana-chan_?" He smirked.

"I think the upper floor would suffice for now, don't you think?" She flashed him a smile and led him up the stairs.

"All the rooms down this hall are for residents to stay in, and thr...two of them are already occupied. I guess that if you somehow end up staying in this old place, you'd most likely be living on this floor." She quickly added more explanation to cover up her blunder. Naruto didn't show any outward reaction to it, but filed the tidbit of information for later.

"The room on the far end is currently empty, a girl called Uzume lives in the middle room, and I live in this one." She pointed to the room closest to the stairs. Kazehana then slid opened her door to show the layout of the rooms. "The rooms are moderately sized, and are comfortable enough to live in. We don't have any toilets in any of the rooms here, so we have to share the one on the first floor. I don't mind if you accidently walk in on me when I'm bathing, though." She winked at him.

Despite the slight innuendo on her part, Naruto was surprised to actually receive a proper tour of the house. He thought that she would have taken this chance away from Miya to tease him, so he had been prepared to counterattack at any time. Perhaps she was affected by Miya's threats a bit more than he had thought…?

"So, you want to check out the bathroom while the scary landlady is occupied?" She closed her distance with long and graceful strides, draping her arm around him soon after.

He took that back. She only wanted to get the tour over with so that she had a perfect alibi for being with him. How…consistent of her.

Before he could retort in any way, a blood-chilling presence graced them from their behind.

_Whack! Whack!_

"No lewd acts are tolerated inside the Izumo Inn." Miya threatened them with a ladle on one hand and a tray of a tea set on the other.

The recipients of the punishment held their heads in pain. Despite the flimsy material she used, the power barely lessened from when she used a sheathed katana to hit them. Knowing Miya, he could bet that she had been training to hit that hard with the ladle. She was just sadistic like that.

**"And that's why I like that one best of all the females around you. She can whip your hide real good." **Kurama snickered in his mind. **"Not to mention the alpha aura she always has around her. It's nothing compared to mine, of course, but it sure is impressive for a non-bijuu entity. You should go court that one."**

'And get myself nearly killed? No thanks. She recently lost her lover, too. I'd be a huge jerk to pull her into another unstable relationship.' He inwardly replied.

**"Your point is?" **Lazily whipping his tails around, he continued. **"You fancy her, and you have the capability of doing whatever you want. Wasn't that the reason you raised your charisma thing?" **The gigantic fox nearly snorted towards the end at the absurdness of his jailor's actions. Relying on outer devices to get help in wooing females was pathetic in his opinion.

'Whatever, you damn fox.' Naruto grunted and cut off the connection before the women in front of him started to suspect anything. Luckily, the two were too busy bickering...if you could call it that. It seemed more like a mother admonishing a rebellious child. Not that he would tell the either of them that.

"Shouldn't we drink that tea you made? You don't want it to go cold, do you?" Naruto interjected with a bit of mirth present in his voice.

"Oh my, you're right. I momentarily forgot because of _public obscenity_ here. We should leave her here and go downstairs. Don't wander off this time, Naruto-kun." She warned and walked away.

Naruto turned back to Kazehana and smiled. "You heard her. I don't think it's wise to antagonize her any more than that." He chuckled, looking at the slight pout on her luscious lips. "I'll have to take a rain check on that offer, though. I wouldn't want to miss the remaining part of the tour from the sexiest resident of the inn." He whispered the last part in her ear, sending delightful shivers to the Sekirei's spine.

"Later, Kazehana-chan!" He left the second floor, raising a hand and bidding her goodbye before she could reply.

Downstairs, Miya was already sitting formally in the living room, the cups already set in front of her. Naruto plopped down on the tatami mat, positioning himself just across the woman.

"What tea is this?" He inquired in an exuberant manner unfitting of the atmosphere.

"Jasmine." She answered before pouring the tea with practiced elegance.

"Mm." He changed his position to befit the formal ambience, now kneeling as he raised the cup to his nose with both his hands. "It has a nice scent to it. You've gotten real good at this domestic stuff, eh? Who would have guessed that the strongest Sekirei would become such a good wife?" He sniggered to himself.

"What kind of woman did you think I was?" She huffed. "But…I guess that time changes people. Even Sekirei." She sipped on the tea before continuing. "You're the one who's more surprising, Naruto-kun. You really don't…well, _didn't_ look like the type who would sit down and have a cup of tea in such a formal way. Since when did you like drinking traditional tea, anyways?"

Naruto put down his cup and responded. "I don't. Never did, and probably won't for a long time to come. I like the cold tea in plastic bottles only because they taste a lot like water, but with more benefits." He swished around the liquid in the cup and stared at it. "But if it's tea made by you, I guess I could learn to like it."

Miya blushed ever so slightly at the proclamation, but quickly hid it by covering the bottom half of her face with her sleeve. "Are...are you trying to enforce your beastly urges on me? On a widowed woman, no less." She backed away in mock horror.

"Beastly…urges?" Naruto sweat dropped. Was she for real...? For her to play jokes like this, she must have been either very bored or had a massive personality change. It was probably both. Just _why _she found pretending to be a feeble housewife interesting, he didn't know. And he didn't want to know, either. But he decided that he could play along with her just for the heck of it.

"I doubt that I would be able to do anything against you, Miya-chan. Actually, the one who should be scared is _me_! Do you know how suspicious you are right now by acting like an _ordinary _woman of all things? Just what are you planning to do to me by hiding your real self?" Naruto backed away from her, comically trying to cover his body with his hands, as if she could see through his clothing. "I-I'm scared that you would ravish me as soon as my guard is down…" He timidly spoke.

Miya's brow twitched. "What are you talking about, Naruto-kun? How could a lady like I do such vulgar things?" She tried to speak like the calm and indifferent innkeeper that she was, but couldn't keep out the hint of annoyance out of her voice.

Naruto inwardly smirked. He knew that he had already won that round.

Hook, line and sinker.

"B-but haven't you done this and that with Takehito? And since you couldn't do..._that_ for a while, you must have pent up frustration of some sort. Therefore my conclusion is that, of all the residents in this house, _you_ are the one most prone to..._assault_ me, the only male in this house, sexually." He smugly, but hiding it well behind faux terror, pointed his finger at the trembling woman.

"Naaruutooo!" She could no longer keep her cool, and let loose her killing intent to the fullest. Her hair defied gravity and billowed out, despite the fact that there wasn't a smallest breeze of wind in the room. Her eyes once again took a demonic form, glimmering with red light. It was quite interesting to see her form change in such a way, because Naruto was certain that this wasn't a genjutsu of any kind. In fact, he remembered seeing Takami do the same thing at one point. And she was a civilian without much training, as far as he could tell.

Filing this away along with the hannya mask as one of the unsolvable mysteries of MBI and Sekirei, Naruto watched Miya with unhidden mirth. She somehow drew a ladle out of nowhere and gripped it with vengeance radiating off her. That mixed with the miasma from Takehito's hannya technique made an impressive killing intent, though it didn't bother Naruto too much due to a certain bijuu living in his abdomen. He had also gotten used to the 'woman's fury' thing that scared the shit out of him in his younger days, owing to the constant encounters of scary women, especially Miya herself.

When she finally assailed him with the culinary equipment, the blond calmly, but quickly, stepped away to the side and dodged without much problem. However, Miya wasn't discouraged in the slightest and continued swinging the ladle to hit the blond. She probably no longer cared about 'disciplining' him, but actually taking him out of commission. And from the way she was _wielding _the thing, he was pretty sure that she could cleave off half his arm if he got hit. With a ladle, of all things. Seriously, what was _with _her and her fetish of ladles?

Naruto zigzagged around the attacks in a burst of speed that he didn't have to use in a while. But he made sure not to make any big movements, with no other ulterior motives other than to annoy the older Sekirei further. He even went as far as to stick both his hands in his pockets just to spite her even more.

"Hey, Miya-chan. You seem a bit…rusty. Can't even land a clean hit on me anymore?" He taunted with a cheeky smile on his face.

The woman didn't answer, but closed in on the blond and raised the speed of her strikes. Naruto only backed away swiftly and continued dodging, matching her tempo.

"It's been a while, Matsu-chan!" Naruto suddenly spoke out of nowhere.

An unsecure tile on the ceiling creaked fully open and a head poked out of it. "Kukukuku, long time no see, Naru-tan~" The redhead giggled at the entertaining situation that the blond created in a span of a few minutes.

"You're the third resident of the second floor, eh? Why am I not surprised? Anyway, nice to see you looking good, like always." He called out to her again, all the while dodging the incessant attack. She was now slashing at every part of his body, so he had to move around a lot more than before. It didn't discourage him from talking, though.

"You've become very handsome, too, Naru-kun. You've enlarged Matsu's urge to experiment on you even more, kukukukuku." She completely ignored Miya as well, and stared at the chiseled face of the blond man, captivated by his new look. Even though she already saw his arrival on the screens in her room, the real thing was so much more salivating. The only thing that kept her on the ceiling, not on the floor pouncing on him, was the thrashing form of Miya. Even her gigantic libido didn't dare her to approach the devil woman.

"Well, I try-" He had to pause in order to duck the slash that was aimed to maul his head off. And the game of cat and mouse began anew.

"As I was saying-" He sidestepped a thrust. "I try to-" He jumped backwards just enough to not get hit. "-please others in any way I can." He dodged the ladle by swiftly turning to the side, which made Miya crush the Japanese-style table in pieces. This only caused to fuel Miya's fury even further, strengthening the force behind her blows and accelerating the speed of her strikes.

Matsu only watched in amusement. "Aren't you _not_ pleasing Miya right now, though?" She asked.

Naruto jumped back and stood on the broken table, only to flip back off the table again when Miya attacked. "Well, I can't please _everyone_." He cheekily stated and sped past Miya. "I'm giving you a good show, so it evens out, right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"True, true." She nodded sagely.

As much as he enjoyed egging Miya on, the shinobi decided that it would be best to stop the rampaging Sekirei now, before she ended up breaking down the entire inn.

Holding the tiger seal discreetly as he jumped around her, the blond created a shadow clone without making a noise. And just as he leaned back to avoid a hit, his clone grabbed ahold of Miya's ankles and made her topple over in surprise. What he didn't intend to do, however, was for her to clutch onto the sleeve of his haori as she fell forwards, making him unable to move out of her way. And because he was already bending at an uncomfortable angle, he couldn't support her weight and got knocked over with a loud thump.

True to Naruto's plan, the assault ceased. Another problem took place, though. Miya was now prostrated on top of him, her face pushed into his chest.

And she wasn't getting off him.

This was most unusual, because he doubted that Miya, the strongest Sekirei on earth, would faint from such a small scuffle. Was he supposed to take the initiative and push her away? Or was he expected to stay still until she moved away from him?

He didn't know. And frankly, he didn't care, either, because he was starting to get uncomfortable from staying in this position for the past few seconds. So he did the most sensible thing he could think of.

"Ow." He drawled in a monotonous voice, not caring if his reaction was unpunctual or unconvincing.

This snapped Miya out of whatever trance she was in, and made her sheepishly crawl off his body, though not without copping a feel of his abdomen muscles as she regained her balance.

Mid way through standing up, her left hand still in contact with Naruto's stomach, she bonked the top of his head with the ladle she was holding and stood up completely.

Naruto lay there motionlessly, only his eyes following Miya's movement.

"Again, ow." He voiced his complain without much enthusiasm.

"You shouldn't have accused a woman of such heinous acts." She huffed and crossed her arms. "Or trip a lady so ungracefully." She added.

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry for having a bit of fun." He slowly lifted himself off the floor. "It will never happen again. Not." He smirked at her defiantly and left her presence.

Miya regained her composure and shook her head, staring at the spot where the blond was lying a few seconds ago. "That boy…"

Matsu on the other hand, snickered in her hand at the amusing turn of events. "Kukukukuku, it's going to be a lot more interesting in this inn now that Naru-tan is back."

* * *

The blond shinobi retreated to the second floor for two reasons. One was to escape from Miya before their chase recommenced due to his last comment, and the other was to find the last resident he had to greet in order to finish the mission. Although he had already seen her, and vice versa, he didn't really get to greet her properly. That was an understatement. She basically pointed at his face and screamed, for all he could remember. Hopefully things would go differently this time.

He strolled past Kazehana's room to the middle room, where this Uzume girl was residing in, from what Kazehana told him. He pondered on whether he should knock or not and decided against it, wanting make a lasting impression with his ninja ways. Not to mention how fun it was to watch other people jump from getting startled.

Pushing the door open just enough to let his body in, Naruto slid in and silently closed the door behind him. Fortunately for him, the girl wasn't facing the door, but staring at her cellphone.

The girl, he noted, now actually had proper clothes on her. A simple t-shirt and jeans didn't do much to hide her voluptuous figure, but he was thankful for it nonetheless. Even after all that time he spent with Kazehana and Matsu, it was hard to look at women's faces when they were half naked. No. His eyes went a bit below that to stare at something more…alluring. Can't blame a healthy, straight man to have such a reaction, but it was bad for his reputation with women, which meant that having a conversation while the girl was almost nude, was a big no no.

Simply observing the fair beauty of one was a completely different matter, though. He would enjoy the mornings when he came to live in this inn.

Locking on to the target, Naruto scaled the walls just for the fun of it, and lightly plopped down on his toes before moving right behind her back.

"Boo." He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.

The reaction was priceless, though it would have been better if he personally knew the girl. He could practically see the hairs on her neck stand in shock. But she didn't waste any time standing frozen in spot, and jumped away from him in an instant, taking a battle-ready stance.

"What do you think you're doing by attacking me?!" She snarled. "The S-plan wasn't set to start for at least another year or two. There's no need for a Disciplinary Squad member to visit this place! We haven't been causing any trouble!" She desperately tried to defend herself.

'Why the sudden hostility? And did she call me a Disciplinary Squad member?' He quirked his head in confusion. Then he realized that he was still wearing the squad's uniform, despite never having been a part of it. It wasn't his fault that it was extremely hard to find clothing that was battle efficient.

Putting the thought about the uniform away for now, Naruto mulled on more important matters. It seemed as though MBI, or more specifically Minaka, was onto something shady, again. Minaka or Takehito never really told him why they were raising aliens from outer space. They always avoided the answer by saying that it was none of his business, or that it was for the development of humanity. This S-plan was obviously a part of the crazy bastard's scheme, which he didn't even know what it was about.

For things to have become this hectic while he was gone…should he have stayed on the island?

'Nah. I would have died from boredom. It was bad enough when I was training on the mainland. Not to mention that if I were to stay there, I wouldn't have leveled as much, either.' He reasoned in his head.

The brunette still kept her guard on, even more defensively than before, probably due to his lack of reply. It would probably be the best for him to dispel the misunderstanding.

But since when was Naruto Uzumaki satisfied with the easiest solutions, especially when a different path allowed him to have some fun pranking someone?

'It's show time.' He stifled his cackle and put on his professional mask.

"How you are acting right now is not of any concern, Uzume-san. That _stunt _you pulled, however, is a different story." He smirked as he overtly had his hand linger on one of his dual daggers. "I had to come all the way here just to find you, you know?"

He approached her, one step after another. Uzume growled in retaliation and somehow dissolved her previous clothing and wore a white cloth around her, all in the span of a second. The long cloth was floating around her protectively, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The blond noticed that she had a different piece of cloth to cover her private areas, though a lot of skin still showed.

'What was the point of going through all that troubles of wearing clothes if she was just going to change into something revealing again?' He wondered bemusedly, once again not realizing that he was the cause of it all. 'Meh. At least it is nice to the eyes.'

Naruto didn't really get to appreciate the view for too long, as the Sekirei whipped two ends of the cloth at him. Although a piece of cloth wasn't the most threatening weapon he faced, he was cautious enough to dodge it.

This was proved to be the correct decision, because the strips of cloth gave out a heavy thud when they missed him and cracked the floorboard. This didn't deter them, and two more joined the fray in trying to land a hit on him. They weren't really fast enough to push him, though. Let's just say that training with Miya, as well as with a few dozen clones, trying to beat him to death was an extremely effective training method.

Even if she couldn't land a hit on him, it was still pretty impressive to see four different pieces each moving individually to attack, cutting and smashing at different intervals.

Curious, Naruto plucked out a single dagger and blocked a cloth aimed straight at him. Surprisingly, it didn't rip into two, but tried to push him back, engaging in a wrestle of brute strength. While he was staring at the fabric in interest, the remaining three wrapped his wrists and ankle.

Uzume smirked in victory, and pulled him into the air. Or so she tried. The blond shinobi didn't move an inch despite her efforts. Panicking, she tried again with much more force behind the cloth. Again, nothing happened.

Naruto stared at the cloth wrapped around his wrist with curiosity and slid his finger on it without much constraint. It was really soft, softer than most simple t-shirts, but really hard and sturdy at the same time. It was an interesting sensation.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Uzume gritting her teeth for not being able to contain him. She put in a lot of power in hardening the cloth and saturating it with power so that she could detain him, but he didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

The blond suddenly raised his head and smiled. "My turn!" He flexed his muscles and pulled his right arm back with amazing speed and strength.

Not expecting the sudden counterattack, Uzume was thrown back in the shinobi's direction, sailing through the air. Just when she was about to tackle into the blond, he stepped out of the way and let her fly a bit further into a wall.

The force of the hit had her staggering. She was barely able to stand on her own legs, barely able to keep them from shivering and giving out on her. The man in front of her was completely out of her league, giving her so much damage with just one hit like that.

Uzume leaned on the wall for support as he tried to stand up. But before she was even able to stand up fully, Naruto appeared in front of her nose with a dagger at her throat and a hand holding up both her hands above her head.

"Game over, little girl." Naruto sneered in a sinister, throaty tone. It was one of his 'evil' personas that he enjoyed using when pranking or scaring other people.

"Do your worst." Uzume snarled. She knew that it was impossible to outrun him or make any counters, so she chose to go out like an honorable Sekirei instead.

Now wearing a full grown grin, which looked extremely feral due to his glinting fangs and whisker marks, Naruto let go of her wrists, though he kept the dagger under her throat.

"Gladly. But don't worry. I'll be done before you kn-" He couldn't continue his evil speech as he was bonked on the head. "Ow!" He grabbed his head in pain. "Miya-chan~ I was getting to the best part!" He whined.

Miya only stared at him with a pleasant smile on her face. "Naruto-kun. No violence is allowed in the Izumo Inn." She threatened with a ladle on her hand.

Uzume blinked at the sudden change in atmosphere. She was just about to get tortured and killed only a second ago, so to say that she was shaken was an understatement. But having the need to understand the situation, she took a deep breath and calmed herself before inspecting the suspiciously familiar intruder.

He was the lean and tall type, with a lot of muscles that was visible even with the uniform covering up most his skin. His silky, golden hair that was covering his eye was extremely alluring as well. All in all, he was one of the most handsome guys she'd seen during her short life. But she still couldn't put a finger on just why he looked so familiar…

"Ahhh!" She pushed herself off the wall and pointed at the man. "You-you're the guy that was hugging Miya!" She shouted.

"Yes, and you're the girl who was wearing only undergarments outside the house." He calmly replied. Uzume had the decency to blush.

"Who are you anyway? And…what are you doing with a marker on your hand?!"

True to her words, there was a felt-tip pen on the hand that used to be free of any tools. He had…_borrowed_ the pen when he saw it lying around one of the shelves in the inn.

"Uhhh, nothing. Nothing at all." He smiled mischievously and put away the marker in his pocket before anyone noticed that it wasn't his. While he was at it, he put his dagger back to his waist as well.

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki. As for who I am, I'm Miya-chan's very first friend!" He smiled and offered her a hand.

The brunette skeptically stared at the hand, but shook it nonetheless. "Uzume, Sekirei number 10. Can't really say that it's a pleasure to meet you, though." Sure, he was hot, but he was still a Disciplinary Squad member. She had to be careful around him, even if he was Miya's friend.

Naruto only shrugged at the response. He _did_ nearly kill her, even though it was a joke, so it was expected for her to show some animosity. He casually let her hand go when he heard a ding.

_Mission Accomplished: Greet all the residents of the Izumo Inn_

_Reward: New residence  
Exp gained: 400 exp_

"Hey Miya-chan." He turned to face the lavender haired Sekirei. "Do you think I can become a resident of the inn? I really like the atmosphere of this place. The residents here seem to be nice, too."

"You want to stay here?" Miya quirked a brow at the sudden request. "Don't you already have a place you stay in?"

"Well yeah." He drawled. "But it's so boring to live all by myself. Don't you feel bad for me, Miya-chan?" He gave her the best puppy eyes he could.

She only stared at him impassively. He was probably too old and cool to use such a cute technique. Damn.

Uzume, on the other hand, was once again gaping at the man's change in demeanor. She still couldn't believe that this was the same man who destroyed her in battle only a moment ago.

Pulling herself together, Uzume spoke her mind. "Miya, you aren't thinking about letting him stay, are you? I mean, a Discipline Squad member? Seriously?"

Miya stood silently for a few seconds, thinking of her response. He probably wasn't in the squad, and he probably hadn't contacted MBI after running away from the island like that. He didn't even know that Takehito passed away...

She waved the thoughts away. It wouldn't do to get depressed in front of one of her residents here.

"I don't see why I should chase a good friend of mine away." She started. "He won't cause much trouble. Right, Naruto-kun?"

"When have I ever?" Naruto dramatically put a hand on his chest and innocently blinked his eyes a few times.

Both women's faces remained stony and unresponsive.

"Fine. I'll be good." He slumped.

"Let us discuss the terms, then." Miya spoke and left the room, beckoning the man to follow. Naruto cheerfully waved a hand to the defeated brunette and followed the landlady out the door.

The duo returned to the living room and sat on the tatami mat. Like always, Miya was sitting on her knees in formal, Japanese way, while Naruto was casually leaning back with his legs crossed. It would have created the same picture as a few minutes ago, if not for the missing wooden table that she broke during their little scuffle. Actually, he was pretty surprised to see the place so tidy in such a short amount of time, considering that she made a huge mess when she chased him around.

He didn't touch a thing, though. It was all Miya.

But maybe he _should_ have broken a few things. That way she would have taken longer to clean the room, which meant that he could have doodled all over Uzume's face with the marker he took.

Oh well. He would have plenty of chances to prank them later, living under the same roof and all.

The blond really wanted to cackle evilly, but he restrained himself from doing so just in case Miya changed her mind about letting him stay. Or make him pay the rent and kick him out to live in the back yard without any food. Sure, the game system gave him the right to live here as a reward, but Miya was just sadistic like that.

"So, Naruto-kun." She pulled him out of his thoughts. "Do you do anything for a living?"

He was confused by why she would ask such a random question. Unpredictability was _his _thing. "Maybe I do. Why are you asking?"

"Can't a lady be curious in what her friend is doing?" She replied. When Naruto only stared impassively, she gave in and answered properly. "I was wondering if you could pay the full brunt of the rent with _legitimate_ money. Not MBI's or stolen money."

Just what was it with these people and MBI? Sure, Minaka was a douche, but the rest of the people seemed nice enough.

Again, Naruto filed away her apparent vengeance for MBI for another time. This file sure was getting rather large…

"But it's true that I am curious on whether my friend has a job or not. It would be interesting to see you work." She quickly added when he wasn't answering, still.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" He grinned. "I _do_ have a stable supply of money, so you don't need to worry about any late rents. As for what I do…" He paused for a dramatic effect.

"It's a se-cret!" He stuck his tongue out.

Miya nearly face faulted at that. But knowing that Naruto wouldn't tell her no matter what she did, she let it slide.

"Your unwillingness to cooperate aside, the monthly fee will be 50,000 yen. Is that okay for you?"

Naruto was almost insulted. He would be able to pay the rent a hundred times over with a single mission if he wanted to. But he would have to let it slide because she didn't know anything.

"Of course it's fine. Who do you take me for, seriously?" He sighed. "I'm going to be really sad if you really think that lowly of me."

"You never know, right?" She giggled into her hand. Naruto, on the other hand, pouted at her jab.

"Anyway, two meals per day are included in the rent, so you don't always have to go out to eat. And finally, the most important part of the terms: the ground rules. It's fairly simple and there's only two, so even someone like you should be able to remember."

Naruto twitched at the comment, but decided not to call on it. He was not going to give the woman the satisfaction of his reaction.

If Miya noticed Naruto's train of thought, she didn't comment on it, but carried on explaining.

"The first rule is that no violence is permitted while you're in the Izumo Inn. The second is that lewd acts are not allowed in this building."

Naruto tried to stifle a laugh, only to fail badly. "Y-you're prohibiting violence? A-and lewd acts?!" He chuckled some more. "But Miya-chan, you're probably the most violent being in this entire building! And don't get me started on that hidden libido of yours..."

Too busy laughing, Naruto was only able to dodge the oncoming ladle by a breath's width.

"See? See?! This is violence, right here!" He pointed an accusatory finger at the woman.

Miya started enveloping herself in a sinister aura as she approached him. "This is discipline, so it doesn't break any of the rules. Now come take your punishment!" She lunged at him again.

"Gah!" Naruto ducked and backed away, dodging every strikes while still on the floor. He then jumped back up and continued weaving through the onslaught. "This, this is definitely violence! Disciplining should not damage household properties, Miya-chan." He admonished her in a serious tone, before he shifted his weight to parry yet another slash.

Seeing no point in continuing this again, the blond grabbed the ladle with one hand and lightly bonked Miya's head with his fist. "Your punishment. A landlady should act more lady like, Miya-chan."

His seriousness stopped Miya in her tracks for a moment, as she touched the top of her head with one hand and stared at the blond.

The mood was broken when Naruto stuck his tongue out.

"You'll never punish me for any of those! Cuz you can't even touch me~" He dashed for the door. "Anyway, gotta go pack. I'll be back before dinner!" He slammed the door behind him before the lavender haired Sekirei could try anything.

She stared at the closed door for some time, her hand on the top of her head once more as if she were trying to feel the shinobi's warmth. Then she suddenly threw her hand away as though her hand had been burned.

Miya shook her head and growled. "That cheeky brat...!"

* * *

_**On the Next Chapter:**_

_"...san." He didn't know why, but he somehow felt the need to add the '-san' suffix to her name. Weird. "People call me by many things, but you can just call me Naruto. Glad to meet you." He flashed her a full-blown foxy smile._

_"So, Naruto-kun. What are you doing in a bar at such a bright time of the day?" She inquired._

_"Aah, it's kind of embarrassing to say this, but the shop was just so pretty and eye-catching that I had to check the place out." He sheepishly smiled. _


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay! I wrote about 7k like...3 months ago, but got sidetracked by a whole bunch of tests and other fanfics... I have no excuses. This chapter deals with more interactions between Naruto and the Sekirei, and it's sort of a filler arc. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto walked down the street at a casual pace. He had a lot of time to spare until dinner, and he didn't want to go in too early just in case Miya attacked him again. That would be too troublesome. Normally, he was all for irritating the first Sekirei, but fighting over the same subject over and over again was too boring for him. He'd cook up a nice plan to rile her up later. But for now, he had to think of something else to do.

"..."

Nope. He had nothin. Did he really have nothing to do other than train, do missions, and eat ramen? Damn, he needed to get a life.

The blond continued walking, still aimless. 'Might as well check out what's around the area. I never got to really see the North section of Shinto Teito, so it would be a good idea to acquaint myself around the place.'

Compared to the South or East, the North section wasn't as developed or populated. He liked it though. It was nice and quiet for a change. And it wasn't really too far from the city if he ran at shinobi pace. Well, not many places would be too far if he ran like that, but that wasn't the point.

As he wondered around some more, the blond reached a more bustling part of the North. Various shops aligned both sides of the street, from simple markets to jewelry shops. Many common restaurants and stands were here as well, so maybe he could visit them later with others when they denied eating ramen.

He would still convince them to the best of his abilities to eat the food of the gods, though.

A few more shops passed by, and Naruto carefully took note of where each one was. Just then, a small shop caught his eyes. Unlike many other shops in the area, this one was much more luxurious even at a single glance. Elegant letters in deep blue were portrayed on the wall.

'Midnight Ocean'

Extremely curious, Naruto opened the door, which chimed a small bell, and entered the store. As expected, the interior was pretty luxurious as well. What caught Naruto's attention, though, was the enormous collection of alcohols sitting behind the counter.

"Welcome, sir." A woman with the most angelic voice greeted in a soothing and tender tone.

Naruto turned his head to see the owner of the voice. She had snow white hair that was flowing freely off her shoulders, and turquoise eyes that was a slightly darker shade than his own. She wore a fitting black dress that showed a generous amount of her cleavage, and he could bet that the dress had a low cut that showcased her thighs, even if they were hidden behind the bar at the moment.

"I don't think that I've ever seen you around here before."

Naruto couldn't help but feel relaxed for some reason. This woman was seriously exuding a calm and kind aura, unlike pretty much all the women he knew during his entire life, except for maybe Ayame. But even she couldn't hold a candle to this lady.

"Ah. It's because I've been working in the South and East side of Shinto Teito." He spoke as he pulled a stool back and seated himself in front of the woman. "So it's only natural that you didn't see me around." He gave a soft smile.

"Well, I'm glad to be of acquaintance, then. People here call me Madam Mirajane, but you can just call me Mira if you wish." She introduced herself.

The blond nearly melted at that. He had seen a fair share of beautiful women in his life - hell, he'd just seen four only an hour ago - but this lady right here was just..._nice_ in ways he couldn't explain. Was this love?

"Mira...san." He didn't know why, but he somehow felt the need to add the '-san' suffix to her name. _Weird_. "People call me by many things, but you can just call me Naruto. Glad to meet you." He flashed her a full-blown foxy smile.

The madam maintained her beautiful smile and nodded.

"So, Naruto-kun. What are you doing in a bar at such a bright time of the day?"

"Aah, it's kind of embarrassing to say this, but the shop was just so pretty and eye-catching that I had to check the place out." He sheepishly smiled. On a side note, he would need to buy a beverage to not seem rude.

"I see. I'm flattered that you think my shop is pretty." She readjusted the blue scarf that was draping around her arms.

"I was only saying what I saw." He smoothly replied. "By the way, I've never been in a bar before. Since I'm here already, could you recommend me something?"

"Hmm, since it's only the afternoon, I wouldn't recommend any of the heavy drinks. Do you perhaps want to try a cocktail?"

Naruto didn't really care for the heaviness of alcohols, because Kurama would always flush the alcohol out. He only drank for the mood, and sometimes for the taste. But he guessed that it wouldn't hurt to try something other than standard sake. "I'm really good at holding my liquor, but I guess I don't mind trying the drink Mira-san would make me."

"Hmm..." Mira stared at the blond for a few seconds and turned away from him. She grabbed few of the bottles on the cupboard and brought out a metallic cup from underneath the stand. "I usually don't make drinks myself, because most customers that come at night are served by the employees here, so I'll apologize in advance for not being able to give you a fancy show when making the cocktail." She lightly bowed her head.

The blond blinked. Why was there a show when you're drinking? Was it a Japanese thing? It wasn't as if he was expecting something, so he didn't give a damn about such things. He'd better say something, quick.

"No, no. I'm honored that I'm able to receive a drink made by the madam herself. Please, don't bow your head for such a trivial matter like this." Naruto spluttered.

Being a gentleman was hard. And awkward. On one hand, he wanted to just act like the impish guy he was, but on the other hand, he wanted to listen to reason and act accordingly. It was like two different personalities were clashing to conquer one another.

His logical side won most of the time, and allowed him to behave like a gentleman that would make women smile. They didn't scowl at him or attempt to hit him, so he guessed that it sufficed. And since Mira-san was smiling at him as well, he probably hadn't done anything wrong so far.

He watched the woman with avid interest. She poured the colorful liquids in the metallic cup one by one, and shook the cup over her delicate shoulder. Then she moved the cup to just below her chin, and she shook the cup once again. But this time, Naruto had to try his utmost best to stare at the cup and only the cup. He most certainly did not stare at the bouncing globes just behind it. He was a perfect gentleman, and he would remain as such.

Mira finally slowed the shake to a stop, and poured the newly concocted liquid in a clear glass. It was a clear cerulean color that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Sorry for the wait. Here you go." She carefully placed the glass in front of him. "It's called sapphire splash. Not too original, I know, but it was all my head could come up with." She sheepishly smiled.

The blond tentatively took a small sip from the glass, and widened his eyes in surprise. It was nothing like the sake he had back home. But rather, it felt closer to one of those juices he tried on the island. Except that this was sweeter, more sour, and had alcohol in it. He decided that he liked the drink.

"Wow. This is good. Much better than what I expected." He brought the cup to his lips only to jerk it away for a moment. "N-not that I wasn't looking down on it or anything...just better than what I thought." He stammered out to correct his words.

The white haired bar maid only smiled in response. "It's fine. I'm just glad that you like it."

Naruto stared at her in awe. She really was an angel. There were no other explanations. Normally, for all the other females he knew in his entire life, he would have been punched, hit by a flying projectile, strangled, cut, or be teased to death. But this woman...she just smiled!

There was no other choice left for him now. He would have to stay near this woman and study her a bit more. Getting to know her didn't sound too bad. The alcohol was a bonus.

"Hey Mira-san. Are you perhaps willing to take in one more employee?"

* * *

The blond balanced three large boxes on his hands as he used his knee to open the front door of his new dwelling place. Carefully taking his sandals off, he quietly bounded off to his room at the far end of the second floor's hallway. He slid the door open with his toes this time, and entered his room, setting the boxes on the floor without a sound.

Without further ado, Naruto made a single hand sign and created three solid clones, one for each box. Without giving any vocal orders, the man opened his inventory and took out a few sets of clothes, followed by his laptop that he bought about a year after he came to Shinto Teito. He put it away along with its charger to a corner and continued unpacking. He laid out his favorite orange futon along with an orange pillow of a darker shade.

Then without bothering to continue his work, he plopped down on the blanket and laid down, making himself comfortable. As if to prove that he wouldn't be working any longer, the blond swiped the inventory shut and closed his eyes, making the clones do the rest of the work. He wasn't slacking, mind you, but he just happened to have the least work, because the clothes took up quite a bit of space in the inventory. It definitely wasn't his intention to store the least troublesome items there. Nope. Not at all.

He smugly listened to his clones working and gave himself some well-deserved rest by clearing his head of any thoughts.

"...Gah." He reopened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. For some reason, he felt extremely restless. He lifted himself back up and glimpsed at his clones. They were approximately halfway done, and he had no desire to take over their work.

But he didn't want to sit there lounging away. He sighed in resignation. "Outside it is, then."

The blond wandered down the stairs to the first floor, and sniffed his way to the kitchen. And not so surprisingly, Miya was chopping something with great speed and dexterity, wearing a white apron.

"Yo." Naruto greeted her for the second time for the day, as he approached her back.

Miya didn't pause her chopping motion, but still turned her head slightly to his direction and smiled pleasantly. "Back already from the little escapade of yours?"

Damn. He was hoping that she had forgotten that tidbit of information by now.

"Escapade? I was only getting my stuff to move in properly." He put a foxy grin on his face, though he knew that Miya couldn't fully see his face at the moment.

Shamelessly, Naruto closed the distance between them, and peered over her shoulders to see what she was making. He didn't notice her body tense slightly from the proximity.

"What'cha making?" He inquired while eying the ingredients lying around the counter.

"Miso soup." She tersely replied.

"Aaaannd~?" He inched closer to the woman.

"Wait a few more minutes and you'll see, you impatient child." She admonished, slightly irritated by his persistent questioning and harried by the proximity.

Naruto pouted and stepped away from the woman to give her some space.

"Aww, I just wanted to know so that I could help you with all this..." He gestured to the counter.

The consistent sound of chopping paused, as Miya turned her head to stare incredulously at the blond.

"You? Help me cook?" She turned back to the counter and resumed chopping, then snorted. "I believe that your assistance would be more of a hindrance than an aid."

"Seriously, Miya. How lowly do you think of me?" He pouted. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been living alone for the last four years. It was a given that I'd learn to take care of myself during that time." The man huffed.

Unconvinced in the slightest, Miya stood her ground. "I don't think anyone could cook as horribly as you, Naruto-kun." She put her knife down and wiped her hands on her apron, before she moved to stir the pot. "I mean, remember the last time you tried to cook something? That food you called ramen...it was so horrible that I couldn't bring myself to eat even the ones they sell in the stands." She grimaced, thinking back to the horrifying concoction of thick noodles, overcooked meat and unidentifiable soup.

Naruto spluttered in embarrassment. That wasn't exactly the best moment of his cooking career.

"H-hey! It's not my fault they didn't have any proper ramen noodles or soup! The fact I didn't know the recipe didn't help, either! Now I make sure that I know how to cook before I do anything. And you weren't exactly the best cook either, so you of all people can't say that to me!" He pointed an accusatory finger at the woman.

Still not very convinced, Miya focused again on her cooking. "Well, improvement or no, you're not going to be using my kitchen any time soon." She finalized. "So you can just run along now, and do whatever it is that you do with your chaotic life.

"Fine." He mock glared at his long-time friend and left. What she didn't notice, though, was a glint in his eyes that promised hell on earth.

* * *

"Pass me the salt, please." The blond requested.

"Get it yourself. It's in the kitchen." Miya replied with a twitch in her eye. The ungrateful idiot was not only being picky about _her_ food in _her_ house, but also showing great disrespect towards the chef herself. And she was so happy to see him only moments ago. It was stupid of her to conveniently forget this annoying aspect of the blond.

"But Miya-chan! I don't know where the salt iiiisss~ I just came here today, remember?" He whined, all the while cackling inwardly at his friend's annoyance.

Miya openly glared at the man, before she relented and silently stood up, leaving for the kitchen.

"Damn, you've got some balls, annoying Miya like that." Uzume whistled, forgetting her suspicion of the blond and wounded pride from their previous encounter at the sight of such an unusual scene.

"Kukukuku. Naru-tan is so mean~ You're the only one I know that could make Miya so riled up like that." Her glasses glinted. "It makes me want to experiment on you even more~" Her grin widened as her hands slid over to the man sitting next to her. But before it was able to reach his toned stomach, the assaulting appendage was flung back to its origin with a loud slap.

"Hands to yourself when we're eating, Matsu-chan." Naruto admonished, and plopped a small piece of a grilled fish in his mouth as if he weren't fending himself off a pervert or planning several dozen ways of annoying his landlady.

The redhead rubbed the back of her hand to sooth the pain, then suddenly perked her head up to look at the well-built man with twinkling eyes.

"Hey, does that mean I can do whatever I'd like when we're done eating?"

Kazehana, who was sitting in front of Matsu, pulled her by the scruff of her neck back to her seat. "I believe that I should have 'fun time' with foxy-kun first. He promised me, after all." She winked at the blond and purred. "It doesn't have to be the tour of the rest of the house. If you want, we can get to know my room more _privately_."

Before he could respond in any kind, the landlady returned from the kitchen with a saltshaker in her hand.

"Here's the salt you requested, Naruto-kun. Here, let me season it for you." She unscrewed the saltshaker fully open and bent down next to Naruto.

"No, it's f-"

"Oops, seems like my hand slipped and too much salt went in." She stood back up with a full grin on her face. "Well, I hope this won't be a problem, since you thought my soup was too bland. Since I had to get up in the middle of the meal for this, you'd better finish every drop of it _Naruto-kun_."

The shinobi, with his mouth agape, looked at his soup, then at the evil woman standing next to him.

"You know, there's something called _subtlety_, and you are _very_ lacking in that aspect of the art. Among many others…" He spoke mirthlessly. She wasn't really going to make him eat all of this, was she? She poured _all_ the salt into his bowl, not leaving even a pinch of salt in the container. Though he wasn't really a picky eater, this was a bit too much for even a person like him.

"Hmm? What could you be talking about?" She smiled innocently. "You _are_ going to finish that soup, aren't you?"

He swore that her eyes flashed red for a moment there. Not your usual bijuu chakra-infused red eyes, but literally two sparks of red lights in the place of her eyes.

The young shinobi slowly scooped a spoonful of the soup and dripped it back in the bowl, disgust clear in his eyes. The salt hadn't even fully dissolved in there. He ignored the sniggering coming from the other Sekirei, and went back to stirring the soup. After a while, he spooned a bit of soup once again and looked at Miya for the last time. The devil woman wasn't taking no for an answer, if the steely eyes and that thrice damned grin meant anything.

Not wanting to prolong the torture any longer, he sipped the broth and tried his best to keep himself from gagging.

"Mmm. This is better than I thought." He grinned with a bit of effort. "In fact, this is _so_ good that I have to share!"

Not giving any time for any of the occupants to realize what he'd just said, he pinched Matsu's thigh with a bit of power behind it. When she opened her mouth to sound her shock and displeasure, Naruto grabbed his bowl and shoved the liquid down the poor girl's throat, fully taking advantage of his superior speed stats.

The redhead spluttered and coughed, both her hands on her throat trying to stop herself from puking anything out. "Gaaahhh! Watah! Waataaahh!" She rasped out, clawing the air for water.

"Well, there's my cue to escape." Naruto chuckled.

The shinobi quickly stuffed his mouth with approximately half the rice in his bowl and picked up the half-eaten fish with his chopsticks, before running out to the balcony. He stopped a short second to grin at the gob smacked group of Sekirei and took off to hide on the roof, sending a clone to run out the house.

'They wouldn't know what hit them.' He sniggered the best he could with his mouth bulging with food. Then he lied down comfortably on the roof tiles, and stared at the setting sun.

**"I thought you didn't want to anger the woman too much." **A voice snorted in his head.

'I didn't. But her reactions were too funny to stop. Getting to mess with Matsu was a plus. And there was no way in hell I'd eat the soup saltier than seawater. I mean, seriously. Could you blame me?'

**"Can't stand a bit of salt, hm?" **Kurama sniggered. **"I bet that the women downstairs now think that you're just a spineless monkey that runs away from even the smallest of challenges."**

'Hey! That is so not true! What I showed them was that no one can restrain the Uzumaki Naruto!' He indignantly shouted in his mind.

**"Of course you did, ya monkey." **The fox rolled his eyes.

**"You know, if you don't impress them soon, you'll never get into their pants. They're all Sekirei down there, so once they get imprinted on some other monkey, it's bye-bye for you."** Kurama seriously pointed out.

'Bah! You're worrying too much. It hasn't even been a day since I got here.' Naruto shrugged, before he realized what the fox's goal was. 'O-oi! Stop insinuating that I'm living here only to get me some girls!'

**"Well, isn't it?"** Kurama would have raised an eyebrow if he had one. **"I don't see any reason to move out of your pathetic dwelling into this one other than to mate with all those females."** He continued. **"Add that to the fact that you're still a virg-"**

'Woah-! I get it, I get it! Can we please not go there? It's embarrassing enough to talk about girls with a massive entity of destruction who lives in my stomach!'

**"Then make yourself useful and go _get some_."** The bijuu rumbled. **"It's really getting boring in here, you know. And you barely let me out to cause major destruction."**

'For good reason, too.' Naruto quipped.

Kurama ignored him.** "The least you can do is entertain me with your life. So you'd better catch yourself at least three of 'em down there!" **He barked out imperially.

Before Naruto could protest in any way, the gigantic fox suddenly perked up. **"Speaking of getting some, one's headed straight up here. Quick! Look less dumb!"**

The blond rolled his eyes at the less than impressive jab and snapped out of the deep connection they were in. True to the kyuubi's words, Kazehana was leisurely walking towards the roof he was on.

Their eyes met and the busty woman grinned at him, before she jumped up to the rooftop, elegantly landing right beside him.

"So this is where you were. We all thought that you ran out to the city." She giggled softly as she took a seat beside him, minding the dirty chopsticks and fish bones that lay on the tiles.

"Well, that was kind of the point." Naruto flashed his foxy grin. "Though I'm a bit annoyed that you managed to find me so quickly..."

She giggled once again, and leaned back to look at the setting sun.

"It's really nice to sit and watch over the city like this. We didn't have this kind of beauty when we were still in the island." She relaxed into her position and sighed. "Only sake would make this better...which I actually have a spare of!" She sat back up and stuck her hand in her cleavage. After rummaging for a while, she shouted 'aha!' and pulled out a huge sake bottle.

Naruto gaped at the woman. 'How in the world did she pull that out of her skin-tight clothes? Did every Sekirei have some kind of storage areas in their bodies?'

"Gulp, gulp...Paaahh!" The wind Sekirei drank out of the bottle, not minding the astonished look Naruto was giving her. "Drinking sake while watching sunset is nice, don't you think?" She led the bottle back to her lips once again.

"Drinking sake itself is nice to you, whenever and wherever it may be." The blond deadpanned. "I don't understand why you love the stuff so much. Sure, it's good for relieving stress and it's tasty, but it has nothing on ramen. Have you still not tried it? It's really the food of the gods, I tell ya! It's literally a sin to not have tried-"

His rant was cut off by her full-blown laughter.

"You really are still the same, aren't you. Even with that ridiculous hairdo of yours," she stated as she grabbed a few strands of his long, smooth hair, "you haven't changed at all."

Naruto's confusion at the sudden comment was quickly replaced with a tick mark.

"Hey! Don't diss the hair! It just grew out like that and the ladies sure as hell don't mind." He jerked his head from her touch to show that he didn't appreciate her derogatory statement.

Kazehana raised her free hand in front of him, as if to show him that her hands were off him. "Whatever you say, Foxy-kun."

Naruto scowled and shook his hair vigorously to rearrange it to the way he liked it: natural and messy. It made him look quite dashing, in his opinion. It also allowed him to hide his slightly heterochromatic eye, which drew more attention to him than he already would.

The duo sat on the roof in silence, choosing to watch the setting sun. In just a moment though, the comfortable silence was broken by the busty woman's whine.

"Mou! I'm out of sake already!" She pouted as she shook the upside down bottle several times above her mouth, trying to drink to the last drop.

Naruto glanced at the woman and sighed. "Kazehana...That bottle was about the size of my thigh..."

"I know! Where'd it all go?!" She hugged the gigantic bottle to her breasts and pouted harder.

Naruto would have found this cute - irresistible, even - if the situation weren't so absurd. "...You drank it all, Kazehana. Like always." He rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you savor the taste instead of guzzling it down if you love it so much?"

She raised an eyebrow, though she still didn't let go of the gigantic bottle. "Do you eat that ramen of yours slowly?"

"...Touché." He admitted rather sheepishly. "But at least I don't take ramen wherever I go!"

Ignoring the blond's unsuccessful jab, Kazehana sighed dramatically. "That was my last bottle, too. Maybe Miya has some secrete stash of sake in the house...?"

"Nah. Don't even bother. I bet she'd hit you with the ladle for even asking such a blasphemous thing." He snorted. "I do believe that I have something better, though. Close your eyes."

"You're not going to do anything cheesy like kiss me, are you?" The wind user smiled at him cheekily. "I'm afraid I'm not that easy to take, foxy-kun, no matter how it usually seems."

"Jeez, what's with you and Miya thinking of me as such a sleazy guy? I'm not that bad...am I?"

"Foxy-kun...Do you not hear yourself talk lately?" She deadpanned. "You're definitely what people would call...what was the word...?" She closed her mouth in concentration, before clicking her finger in realization. "A playboy! That's what men like you were called!" She grinned impishly.

Naruto's jaw unhinged at her statement. Him...a playboy? Wasn't that type of person supposed to have a lot of women around them and have lots of sex? And if that's so...was that supposed to be a compliment or a derogatory remark?

Judging by the woman's expression, it probably was meant to be the latter. But being the munificent and forgiving man he was, he would kindly take the comment in stride, because it also meant that he had the looks and skills to be one, right?

"Well, although I wouldn't call myself a playboy, your thoughts are duly noted. Buut! Since you are so unwilling to trust me, I guess I have no choice but to withhold my surprise. A pity though, because I was sure that you would love it." Naruto offhandedly said. "I guess I'll just have to drink it myself."

As expected, the woman's head perked up at that.

"Maa, maa. No need to be so hasty foxy-kun..." She nervously chuckled. "See? I already closed my eyes!"

"Well, I don't know...You didn't seem to trust me in the slightest. And don't think that I can't see you peeking." He spoke in a berating tone.

She quickly closed her eyes tightly, and even covered them with her hands to emphasize that she really wanted the surprise.

Naruto chuckled at her desperation and silently summoned his inventory, taking a moderate sized bottle out, which had a touch of luxury unlike the normal sake bottles Kazehana drank out of.

After a second or so of thinking, he also took out a clear glass cup from the inventory, and finally closed the inventory. He carefully poured the drink into the cup and brought it to the woman's lips.

Her shoulders jerked in surprise at the sensation, though she quickly realized what the cold material was. Her hands still over her eyes, she dipped her head slightly to taste the beverage.

"Hm? This isn't sake..." True to her speculation, when she opened her eyes to look at the drink, it wasn't the opaque, whitish liquid that she was used to, but rather a lucid and brownish liquid that she had never seen before.

"Course it isn't. Here. Hold it." He handed the glass over to her. She obliged and took it, staring intensely into the cup. "It's called whiskey, apparently. Do you like it?"

Kazehana eyed the liquid a bit longer before she downed it in one go. "Oh wow! This is some good stuff!" She looked back down at the empty glass with an appreciative gaze. Then she turned to the blond and gave him a pleading gaze.

"No." He firmly declined before she could even ask.

"But foxy-kuuun!"

"You know as well as I do that you can't have whatever you want just because you want it. Everything has a price, and the same goes for the whiskey." He chided. "So you'll have to earn it, Kazehana-chan."

She pouted harder. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"…Kiss me." Naruto suddenly said after a moment of silence.

"…?!" It took her a few seconds to process what came out of his mouth, and even then, she was flabbergasted to the point of being unable to speak. "M-mou Naruto-kun, you like this onee-chan that much?" She nervously laughed as she tried to pass it off as a joke.

"Kiss me, and I'll take it as a payment for the whiskey." He repeated himself again with a serious look in his eyes.

Kazehana's smile became strained. She liked the boy, she really did. He was interesting, funny, good looking, warm hearted, and really sweet at the most unexpected times. But he wasn't her ashikabi. Her body didn't react to his proximity. He would be heartbroken no matter how she conveyed her answer, and she was at a loss how to reject him. She couldn't even counter it with her usual playful innuendos.

Naruto, sitting on the other side of the woman, was also in quite a predicament. He had only meant to tease the Kazehana like usual, but had accidently gone a bit too far. And now she was actually considering it. Well, perhaps not, but she seemed to be thinking quite hard on it. She didn't look too happy, though. He had to think of something to say, and get the situation over with as soon as possible. It would not do to lose a precious friend over such a stupid joke.

"Are you really considering it?" He flashed the most mischievous grin he had in his repertoire. "I was only joking, ba~ka. Oh well, it can't be helped that I'm incredibly handsome and amazing." He stood up and turned around, covertly taking out the whiskey from the inventory. "But since I'm feeling really generous today, I'll just give this to yah." He tossed the bottle to her, which she absentmindedly caught. She was obviously shocked by the development of things.

"Well, I'm a bit tired, so I'll retire for the night." He faked a yawn. "G'night Kazehana-chan. Seeya tomorrow!"

When Kazehana's eyes noted the man's form disappearing through a window, she finally came back to her senses, and looked down at the brown bottle laid on her lap. She was thankful that it was only a joke, and that she even got a free bottle of good alcohol.

So why was it that she didn't feel happy in the slightest?

* * *

_"Hey Naruto-kun!" A woman came running to him at a remarkable speed. She stood in front of him and grinned, the smile looking more sincere and happier than ever before. "Takehito-san said that he'd love to teach me more about personal relationships. Isn't it great? Now you won't have to bother with educating me in this area. We can focus more on real training now, and work on deepening our friendship, however we're supposed to do so."_

_"Wait, so you don't want me to be your teacher anymore?" He looked back at her, slightly hurt from the blatant dismissal. She almost seemed happy to get rid of him and install Takehito as his replacement. _

_Miya cocked her head slightly to the side, obviously not understanding the purpose of the question. "Wouldn't it make sense to take a more experienced person to teach me?" _

_He nearly cringed at that. Of course Takehito was a better replacement, in both compatibility and experience. But it hurt to hear her say it so explicitly. _

_"R-right…Of course." He shakily forced a smile on his face. "Good for you, Miya-chan."_

_"Well, I just wanted to tell you this, and that we should meet at 4 instead of 2 o'clock because of this." She beamed at him. "See you later, Naruto-kun!" _

_She ran back towards the direction she came from as quickly as she had arrived, leaving the blond to stare behind her. _

* * *

_The shinobi put his enhanced speed to use once more, and sprinted towards the woman, chakra already charged at the sole of his feet. "**Rasengan**!"_

_Having felt the boy charge, Miya jumped into the air and flipped out of the range of attack. "Foolish boy, do you truly not understand the difference of our skills? Then allow me to demonstrate." She flicked her katana out of the sheath and swung it in a full arc. With a gigantic shockwave, deep crevices were created, redesigning the environment. Naruto shot out of the way, only for him to face another shockwave. Unable to parry this one, he summoned a **Rasengan **in hopes of softening the blow. The attack was too large and powerful, however, and he took the full brunt of the attack. _

_He flew back quite a distance, and he was able to hold himself just barely as he skidded down on all fours. But before he was able to even stand, the woman swung her katana once again with more power and speed. Though it wasn't as strong as those that fell battleships in the invasion just a year ago, it was definitely a killing blow that would exterminate most Sekirei in one hit. _

_The bloodied boy fell to the ground, unmoving. Deep gashes marred his upper body diagonally, and more blood than thought humanely possible poured out to the cold floor. Though unnoticed by the blond, his HP bar was down to the red zone, and the continuous loss of blood only seemed to dwindle the remaining health points. _

Naruto's eyes snapped open. He was in an unfamiliar environment, surrounded by an unfamiliar scent. The only thing familiar was the beeping that was going off like crazy in his head, which he guessed was impeding him from thinking clearly. He quickly turned it off with a halfhearted slap to his face and a vocal command.

"Oh right...I moved here yesterday..." He muttered, finally having regained his composure.

The blond looked around the room to see, well, nothing much, really. Although he already moved his stuff out the previous day, barely anything he owned pointed to him as the owner of the room. Well, there were his orange blanket and pillow, but he couldn't see them at the moment from his position so they didn't count.

"Ugh, my head's still pounding from that dream..." He winced slightly as he got out of his bed. "Haven't had that dream since...last year, was it?"

Naruto vigorously shook his head in an attempt to clear his head of depressing thoughts. "Gah! Who cares. Better go do my morning training and blow off some steam."

He took off his orange pajamas and changed into the disciplinary squad uniform, then opened the window, silently jumping down to the backyard.

"Huh. This place is much bigger than I thought." He spoke as he looked around. It wasn't green enough to be called a garden, but there were several trees and flowers here near the fences. It was as if the place was meant for someone to do some training in. And knowing Miya, he wouldn't have been too surprised if that were the case.

Either way, this was a great place for him to do some light training without having to go too far out, which he wasn't inclined to do at the moment.

He walked over to a spot with sufficient space around him, and began his warm up with several thousand push-ups with one hand, flipping his body in the air after each push. When he deemed his body loosened up enough, he went through a series of practiced katas of the Swirling Tide that he had learnt years ago. He started off with slow executions of the basics, and slowly moved on to more advanced katas, and furthered the training by adding his own variation to it.

Fortunately for the residents of the inn, Naruto was sensible enough not to use any force behind his punches or kicks, and focused on parrying and his footwork. This didn't mean that he went easy on his training though, as he was fine-tuning his katas. He couldn't allow a single mistake such as over extension of his arm or making unnecessary movements that created holes in his defense.

After an hour and a half, the blond's blurry movements slowed to a halt, revealing his sweating and panting form.

"My taijutsu seems pretty much finished as the way it is now...though I wouldn't be able to test it out until I battle someone really strong." Naruto said to no one in particular as he wiped is drenched forehead with his grey sleeve. "Shadow fighting with my imagination or spamming clones for sparring can only get me so far, after all." The man sighed in slight frustration.

He undid the kinks in his fingers and shoulders, and decided to retire for the morning. When he was about to climb up the wall to get back into his room, his body tensed at the sound of a weapon cutting through the air.

'Intruder?' He collected himself again and concentrated on the location of the possible enemy. More slashes were heard. 'No. No intruder would be stupid enough to make so much sound when he's breaking in. Then training, maybe?'

Naruto relaxed slightly, but kept his senses and mind alert. Now curious of the person responsible for the disturbance, he silently moved to the other side of the inn and glanced behind the corner of the wall.

A woman was wielding a slender katana with both hands, slashing vertically, then horizontally, then moving her arms with her entire body by twirling, as if she were executing a deadly dancing move.

"You're still training, Miya? I thought that you were just a _harmless old landlady_." Naruto smirked.

"Ohohohoho. Can't a_ young_ lady learn how to defend herself?" She covered her mouth and laughed, though a tick mark was clearly seen on her forehead.

Naruto snorted. He still didn't understand why she was so insistent in saying that she was frail.

"So, have you improved during our time apart? Or did all your skills dull like woman you claim to be?" He mockingly grinned at her. "Cuz I know _I_ have improved without a doubt."

While it was true that he did this because he wanted to taunt her into fighting him, he actually wanted to know how her skills progressed. Last time he sparred with her, he was only barely able to win, and only because of his superior speed stats. Sure, he had a higher strength stat as well, but it didn't mean much when her dexterity stat was the triple of his. He had been putting nearly all his stats on speed and dexterity since then.

'Observe.' He silently commanded, causing a small window to pop up beside the woman.

Name: Miya / No.01

_Level: 72  
Specialty: Sword  
Gender: Female  
Species: Sekirei  
Condition: Normal_

_Intelligence: 46  
Speed: 68  
Strength: 77  
Dexterity: 184_

He scanned the numbers with celerity, unwilling to waste even a second in front of the woman. He was unsure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, but she hadn't advanced much, other than her increased strength. She was still freakishly strong, though. He…might be a bit hard pressed if she went all out.

_Naruto: __Lv.81 (exp: 970/8100)_

_(0) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 80  
Speed: 108 (+53)  
Strength: 72 (+45)  
Dexterity: 97 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 66 (+5)_

His speed _and strength_ was much superior to hers, though, so he'd survive.

'Oh right, we were in the middle of a banter…Why did I suddenly begin explaining this to no one...?' He sweat-dropped.

"…believe that it is enough to defend myself from vulgar men like you." She finished speaking and slashed at the thin air before pointing her katana at the blond.

"Oh really?" Naruto spoke in a challenging tone, hovering his hand above his own weapon. "Then I guess that you wouldn't mind a spar against me."

Before the woman could utter a word of protest, the shinobi sprinted to her and stretched his arm to impale her abdomen. Miya quickly angled her blade downwards to parry his attack, albeit only barely. Having expected the dodge, Naruto didn't so much as blink and pulled out his other dagger to swipe down at her arm. But the element of surprise was no longer on the blond's side, and she was able to block the attack more fluidly with her sheath, which...wasn't in her hand only a second ago. He shrugged and slashed at her waist this time at speeds nearly invisible to the naked eye, but once again Miya was able to block it with her katana.

The two stared down at each other as their blades were at a deadlock.

"I believe that I never agreed to spar." She blatantly glared at the man. "And did I not say that no violence is permitted in the Izumo Inn?"

"Well, this _is_ a spar, and spars don't count as violence." Naruto put a bit more effort in pushing his blades towards Miya as he flashed a fanged grin. "And don't even act as if you didn't want to battle me. I can feel your adrenaline rushing right...here." He finally pushed her katana all the way back so that she couldn't put much force into her grip, and lowered his head to directly face hers, nearly touching her nose and close enough to hear her quickened breathing.

Ba dump.

Miya quickly hid her surprise with a scowl and jumped away from the smirking blond. She then took a large calming breath, and glared sharply at the aggravator.

"You're lucky that this was the backyard of my inn, or else I would have split you into two." She unsheathed her blade and huffed, before she headed back to the building. She paused in her steps and spoke quietly. "And no breakfast for you, Naruto-kun."

The shinobi's victorious grin faltered. "Wha-? But I didn't do anything this time!" He chased Miya to the door as he whined. "Miya-chaaaann! Then at least finish the-"

"No breakfast." She repeated herself once more and closed the door behind her.

"..." Naruto gaped at the door in disbelief and closed his mouth with a click. "The gall of that woman..." He walked up the nearest wall and entered a window. "She could have at least battled me if she was going to ban me from breakfast..." He muttered, pouting to himself.

"Guess this morning's breakfast is ramen-" He straightened up, but paused mid-speech as his eyes met the eyes of a certain brunette girl. An nearly _naked _brunette girl. "Err, what are you doing in my room? Not that I'm complaining or anythin." He purposely looked up and down her body, his eyes lingering a bit longer on her barely covered breasts.

Oh, he wasn't a pervert by a long shot, no matter how hard his previous teachers tried. It was just that it was pretty interesting to rile this one up, if the last encounter was anything to go by. The nice view was only a bonus. Or was it the other way around?

Seeing him not taking his eyes off her, Uzume covered her body as much as she can with her arm and growled. "That's what I should be asking, you perverted lecher!"

He blinked, then took his eyes off the girl and swept the room with a glance.

"Huh. You're right. This isn't my room." He shrugged and directed his gaze to the girl again. "And you have no right to call me a lecher, miss I-like-showing-my-undies-to-strangers. It's not like I'm looking at anything I haven't seen, anyway." The blond dismissively waved her off and turned for the window again.

Her eye twitched at his attitude, but couldn't think of anything to say back to him without embarrassing herself any further. All she could do at the moment was to stare at his retreating figure disappearing out the window after giving her a cool smile and a wave.

She grit her teeth and determined that she would get back at that guy someday, somehow. She didn't escape MBI to be harassed then captured by the likes of that guy. She still needed to find interesting things to do in the outer world, and maybe find her ashikabi on the way. And to do that, she had to survive from that conniving guy.

"Damn. Now I actually have to wear clothes from now on." She sighed and grabbed her shirt off the floor.

* * *

A few days later, Naruto found himself sitting on a messy pile of cables, careful to keep a distance between him and a certain redheaded girl.

"…And so, I'd like to ask you to teach me more on using computers."

Matsu stopped her advances on the blond and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at this.

"I mean, sure I know how to use the Internet, cuz all you have to do is...err...type stuff..." His cheeks tinged with a pinkish hue at his obvious lack of knowledge. "Anyway, I want to reinforce the basics and then go onto hacking."

"Hacking?" She repeated, surprised by his sudden interest. "You want to learn hacking?"

He nodded.

"Why bother, Naru-tan? I'm sure I can make my time for you whenever you need...with a little bit of _compensation_, of course." Her mouth morphed into a gigantic grin as her hands made a squeezing motion.

"Riiight. Of course you would." He rolled his eyes. "I would prefer to be able to do it myself, though." Hacking, especially if done by Matsu, would surely prove to be invaluable to his missions, but he still didn't want people to know of his involvement in the more shady part of his jobs. The less they knew, the merrier.

"So I want you to teach me." He restated himself, only to find that Matsu was still away in her own perverted lala land, and was now approaching him on all fours.

"Oi, Matsu..." He inched away from her, disturbed by her expression that was even more out of it than usual. Dare he say, it was even worse than Ero-sennin's when he was peeping. Despite his efforts, the Sekirei didn't seem to be willing to stop her prowl any time soon.

"Ehehehehe...experiments...slapping...punishment…ehehehehe.." She began drooling as she giggled.

Naruto cringed and wondered if the hacking was worth all this.

**"Brat. Of course this is worth it. Learning is only a bonus. Do you want to stay a virgin forever?"** A voice snarked in his head.

'Shut up, ya damn fox! How many times do I have to tell you? Humans actually care about feelings. Unlike you beasts, we don't just go around banging whoever we want.'

**"You can only say that now because you never had sex before, you ignorant fool! Now get me some action before you regret it in the future! Do you _want _to die of blue balls?" **

Before retaliating like usual, he actually hesitated for a moment. Why _was _he so averse to enjoying carnal pleasure? It wasn't as if he had any obligation to anyone…

He looked back at the fiery red head. She had a nice and curvy body, great bust and ass, and was intelligent to boost. And most important of all, she actually wanted him. _Him_. Sure, the motive seemed a bit impure, but that was neither here nor there. Not to mention that, despite how reluctant he was to admit this to others, the girl came to be one of the few precious people that he came to care for in this world.

'So why is it that I feel reluctant to have her coming onto me?' He frowned.

A pink haired girl with a hitai-ate on her head flashed in his mind, soon followed by a lavender haired woman in grey garment, wielding a dangerous katana.

Naruto froze for a second before shaking his head in an attempt to forget the images. 'Let bygones be bygones, they say. It's probably for the best to find someone else and move on.' He grimly thought. 'Perhaps that someone isn't too far away from me…? In the Izumo Inn, maybe?'

Taking his sudden stillness as an invitation to his body, Matsu coiled her arms and legs from her spot, and pounced at the blond. The blond shinobi slugged her face out of instinct when her hands neared his goods, rendering her unconscious.

"Errr...maybe I'll look for someone a bit less...eager." He sweat-dropped. "Wouldn't do to punch her every single time she makes a move on me."

Naruto stood still, thinking over his options, if he could call it as such.

'Crossing out Matsu...for now. There's that Uzume girl, but she hates my guts, and I can't give up on teasing her, so not her either. Kazehana is, well, _Kazehana_. She's like a flirty friend that will always stay a friend, if her reaction towards him a few days ago meant anything.' Naruto blinked a few times. 'Well shit. That's basically all of them. Do I actually need to go outside to find a girlfriend? Flirting to someone I don't even know sounds just wrong, so I don't want to do that either...' Naruto frowned and tried to think of alternative methods, only to find that there was none left. He gasped in realization. 'Does this mean that all that effort and time I spent to level up and raise my charisma points were for naught?! NOOOOOOO!' He fell on his knees and sobbed, banging his fist on the floor.

Unbeknownst to him due to his immersion in self-pity, the redhead's eyes were fluttering open from her short slumber. Matsu slowly picked herself off the floor as she tenderly massaged her cheek. "Wha...what happened?" She slurred as she tried to boot her brain up. She looked at the blond for clarification and did a double take. "Are you...crying on the floor?"

"…I wasn't crying." He quickly stood back up, his tears nowhere to be seen. "I was just...worried about you. Thus the kneeling on the floor. Yeah.' He nodded. It sounded manly enough. Quickly gathering his wits, he spoke before she could question him further. "You okay? You just fainted after telling me that you'd teach me hacking. Kinda fell face-first, so your face might hurt for a while."

A look of confusion was followed by acceptance. "I see...but what were Matsu's conditions for teaching you?"

"Conditions?"

"Conditions, fees, payments, you know the works." She said flippantly.

"Umm, you said spending time with me was good enough for you." He smiled casually as he normally would, though he was sweating up a storm inside.

Fortunately for him, Matsu seemed content with his answer and nodded. "You have to spend some _quality time _with Matsu for real, then." She grinned, which soon turned into a bout of perverted giggles.

Naruto ignored it to the best of his abilities, and reassured himself that being in the same room with her itself was good enough for the deal. No need to do the nasty, or whatever she had planned. "As long as it is limited to only spending time together and doesn't make Miya want to kill me over and over again."

The Sekirei's grin widened. It was painfully obvious that her definition of 'quality time' differed from his.

"Miya-tan will never suspect a thing, Naru-tan." She purred as she inched towards the blond.

Before Naruto could do anything, a horrifying roar resounded through the house. It wasn't quite animalistic, although he would be hard pressed to say that it wasn't demonic. "NAARUUTOOOO!" The sound of a door banging open was followed by crashing noises throughout the house.

He smiled.

"Well, that's my cue for the chase to begin! It's been fun, but I gotta go. Things to do, people to avoid…" He slid open the door and smiled. "You probably won't see me at dinner tonight. Ja ne~" He left with a loud cackle, giddy at the thought of seeing Miya unable to keep her cool.

As expected, not long after he left Matsu's room, the lavender haired Sekirei appeared before him with fury blazing in her eyes. She hadn't transformed into her "demon form", as he would like to call it, but he was confident that she'd chase him around the city if he provoked her a little bit more.

"Good morning Miya-chan! Isn't today such a good day to share bright smiles?" He grinned widely, showcasing his set of sparkling teeth.

She scowled at him, though it wasn't as intimidating as usual due to a hand over her mouth.

"Aww, don't be shy. Smiling widely is good for your health. So be a good girl and smile widely for me."

She responded by pointing her unsheathed katana at his face, though her left hand stayed in front of her mouth. "Stop joking around. Undo this immediately."

"Hmm? Undo what, Miya-chan? I don't know what you're talking about unless you explain it in detail." He cutely tilted his head to the side and asked innocently. He couldn't fully hide the twitch of his lips, though.

Miya's eyes grew even more furious at the man's comment, and contemplated whether it was worth letting the blond live. She had to suppress a growl when she came to a conclusion that he was needed alive in order to fix this mess. Who knew how long this thing lasted?

She slowly lifted her hand off her lips, which she slightly opened to snarl at the blond. Her teeth glistened in a threatening manner...with a blue glow. Marine blue.

Naruto tried to hide his amusement again, but failed tremendously and ended up guffawing right at her face. Had he been a lesser shinobi, his stomach would have hurt a lot from laughing so much. But it didn't, because he was an awesome shinobi and had amazing abs.

Miya clamped her mouth shut and glared at him. She put a hand to her mouth once again, not wanting to be disgraced any further.

"What...did you do?" She spat out venomously. He was really proving himself to be an annoyance around the inn. She really shouldn't have taken him in. Something like this would never have occurred if it weren't for him. Damn her and her compassion.

"I didn't do anything!" He exclaimed as he wildly raised both his hands up. The smile lingering on his face wasn't convincing, though. She tilted her blade so that it was now in a position that would allow her to cut him into ribbons in a flash.

"Well, not much, anyway." He awkwardly chuckled, before his eyes took a mischievous glint. "All I did was put a bit of crushed blueberries, teeth whitening and toothpaste...among other things." He snickered. "Don't worry. It will naturally fade away in a week or so."

Miya ground her teeth and changed the position of her katana so that it was now pointing at his junk. "Get. rid. of. it. now."

The blond cringed, sensing how serious she was about emasculating him. But he wasn't quite ready to yield, not after all that trouble he went through to acquire that ingredient.

"It...doesn't come off." He stated, taking care to slightly back away from the blade. "Maybe if you tried hard enough, the time limit could decrease by one day, but that's pretty much all you can do." It wasn't entirely true, as there were plenty of ways to nullify his prank, but he didn't lie in any way that there was nothing Miya could do, without his help at least. Too bad he was planning on enjoying this to the fullest.

Unable to hold her anger in any further, Miya started oozing out thick killing intent accompanied by purple miasma, more potent than ever. "Is that so...?" She grinned with tightened lips and crinkled eyes that had a bit too much strength behind them. Then she snapped open her eyes and exposed her dilated pupils that were screaming for his blood. "Then it seems that you will just have to die for me."

Naruto's grin faltered slightly at the venom dripping off her voice. It was time to get serious, it seemed. Not unless he wanted his junk cut off and put up on display. That didn't so anything to make this situation any less amusing, though.

He fell into a defensive stance he was familiar with, and got ready to retaliate any attacks that came his way. "Too bad I can't die tod-"

He was cut short by three terse knocks on the front door.

"Oh? Seems like we have a visitor." Naruto cocked his head in interest.

Miya grunted in annoyance and loosened the grip on her katana, before turning on her heels to answer the door. Naruto visibly relaxed as well and put a grin back on his face, then followed the woman down to the first floor.

"Ah, are you perhaps the landlady of this place?" A male voice came from behind the door.

"Yes I am. Are you looking for a place to stay in?" Miya spoke in a kind tone, her previous anger nowhere to be seen. She masterfully covered her mouth with her sleeves as a shy woman would, which looked amazingly natural on her. Deceiving people without any effort...women were scary like that. Or maybe it was just Miya.

"You know, this might not be the best place for you to live in. It's pretty worn down, has only one bathroom between six people, and the landlady is really mean." The blond popped up and opened the door wide so that he could take a look at the future innmate of his. He was an effeminate man with grey hair, or at least Naruto supposed that the guy was a man. His androgynous face and body didn't give him much to go by, nor did the his slightly husky voice. The last time he had such a hard time discerning the gender of a person was when he met Haku approximately a decade ago.

"Uhh, I don't think that it would be a problem. I was recommended by someone to stay here." He smiled rather gentlemanly, though it was a bit strained at the sight of Miya glaring at the blond.

"Are you sure? I mean-"

"If you dislike this place so much, you should live somewhere else, Naruto-san." She had half a mind to neuter him right there and then, had it not been for the need to cover her mouth from the newcomer. "That way we'd be able to provide lodgings for people who want to live here and don't cause much trouble."

Naruto scoffed playfully. "You speak as if there actually are people like that who want to live here. I mean, look at your current residents! All of us are troublemakers...of high degrees at that."

The grey haired teen actually reconsidered living in the inn. But in the end, he decided that he should be able to live in a rumbustious inn like this if he were to call himself a guardian of Sekirei. His life wouldn't be boring at the least.

He cleared his throat to gather the attention of the glaring duo. When they both stopped what they were doing and looked straight at him, he felt somewhat self-conscious, though he didn't understand why.

"Umm, so is a room available? I'd like to move in today, if that is possible." He let his mind known with a bit of difficulty, as he had to restrain himself from fidgeting.

"Of course." She smiled pleasantly. "Ignore this immature man. Most of the things he spouts are near nonsensical. Please follow me and I'll show you to your prospective room." She gestured the man in and stomped on Naruto's foot, hard, when the newcomer wasn't looking.

"OW!" The shinobi yelped.

"Is...something wrong?" The grey haired male turned from his position to look in Naruto's direction.

"Nothing's wrong. He probably bit his tongue trying to make a unintelligent comment." Miya ushered the male into the living room.

Naruto's eye twitched at the blatant dismissal as well as the obvious lie from Miya.

"Oi. Is it wrong for wanting to know the identity of the new resident?"

"Oh, I still haven't introduced myself." He stood up straighter from where he was. "My name is Kagari. Pleasure to meet you."

* * *

**_Stats:_**

_Naruto: __Lv.81 (exp: 970/8100)_

_(0) stat points remaining_

_Intelligence: 80  
Speed: 108 (+53)  
Strength: 72 (+45)  
Dexterity: 97 (+15)  
Charisma / Attractiveness: 66 (+5)_

**_Skills:_**

_Observation (lv.24)  
Shadow clone jutsu (lv.76)  
Sexy jutsu (lv.2)  
Rasengan (lv.77)  
Henge (lv.19)  
Kawarimi (lv.34)  
Surface/water walking (lv.73)  
Wind release*  
Jinchuriki mode*_

**_Equipment:_**

**_Senju's emerald necklace:_**_ The necklace of Hashirama Senju. It has the ability to subdue even the strongest bijuu. Dex +15  
**Disciplinary Squad uniform**: The uniform Sekirei in the Disciplinary Squad wear. It is made of high quality material and is easy to move in. Str +5, Spd +5, Chr +5**  
Basic shinobi sandal:** A basic sandal for shinobi. Spd +3  
_**_Double Chakra Daggers:_**_ Daggers that are used in tandem for amplified power and speed. These daggers can be encased in different chakra natures for increased power, range, speed or supplementary effects. These daggers are special in that they will evolve as the user becomes stronger. (+5 every 10 levels) Str +45, Spd +45_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Um...sorry for being super late again? But to my defense, I had tests after tests after tests...when will they end? T_T **_

* * *

"...So by typing this command here, the computer will calculate the combination of numbers that you need. Then you put this in the formula number...46, yeah, that super long one that begins with 'CAL', and you'll be able to have access to the codes for all the cameras in the building. Then you have to figure out which is which...hey, are you listening to me?" Matsu turned her head to look at he blond.

"Nngh, yeah..." Naruto grunted as he tried to focus on the screens. He wasn't really having much problem following what the redhead was saying, as he'd already brushed up on the basics by reading several books with the use of his amazing shadow clones. What he was having trouble with was the fact that the girl was sitting on his lap as she was teaching. That itself wouldn't have been much of a problem, if she weren't speaking at an insane speed, while he had to keep his concentration on the material as the girl grinded her ass into his private area.

Seriously, it was not something any healthy, straight male was able to do. And Naruto, despite his immense immunity towards the opposite sex, was unable to keep the blood from rushing to his head. And by head, he meant the one on the lower region.

And of course, Matsu, being the super pervert she was, was able to catch onto this.

"If you wanted to do other activities, all you had to do was ask Matsu~" She spoke in a sultry voice as she grinded her ass even harder, though she eventually fell into a fit of perverted giggles.

"You shouldn't come onto someone who's not your Ashikabi, you know." Naruto spoke in an admonishing tone as he not-so-subtly pushed her off his lap.

"Then can I do whatever I want if you become my Ashikabi?" She wasn't deterred by his pushing her away, and shoved her face right in front of his, staring at his lips like it was the most delicious thing in the world.

"Yeah...I mean, no! You can't make me your Ashikabi just because you want to kiss someone!" Naruto blocked mouth with his hands and pushed her head away, tearing his eyes off her alluring lips.

"Mm mm mmf mmhht mf mm mm!" The redhead muffled into his hand with ferocity.

Naruto ignored her and turned his head away from her, not even bothering to hear her out. He could already tell that it was something obscene or perverted.

Not the one to be stopped with a simple hand, Matsu licked the hand that blocked her.

Now usually, many people, including well-trained men, find the licking disgusting and jerk their hands away. However, Naruto was a shinobi, which meant 'dirty' or 'disgusting' barely meant anything to him. So he ignored it as he did to most of her advances.

Not minding the lack of reaction, Matsu continued licking, more sensually this time. She leaned into his hand and licked every nook and cranny of what area she was allowed. She began treating it as a kissing session with Naruto, and even went far as to grab his hand and sink his fore-arm into her breasts and groaned into his hand.

When he loosened his hand from the overloading pleasant sensation, Matsu quickly shrugged off his hand and pounced at his upper body, aiming her lips at his pursed ones. She nearly succeeded, but the blond was able to react in time and jerked out of the way at the last second. He then took advantage of her loss of balance and easily grabbed both her wrists behind her back.

"Didn't I _just_ say that this was reckless and dangerous?!" He growled at her as he furrowed his brows. "Matsu..." He sighed and slightly loosened her wrists, and began speaking in a softer tone. "You really don't want to do things so rash that you'd come to regret in the future."

"No, but-" The redhead freed herself from his loose grip and turned to face the shinobi.

"Trust me. Getting winged by an ashikabi is no joke, you know. You'd be bound to him till death even if you despise the guy!" He turned his head away and continued in a dejected tone. "And you would miss the chance to meet the one that you actually react to...or even worse, the one that you truly love."

Matsu opened her mouth to rebut in a whining tone, but halted midway when she caught the bitterness in his tone. She was certain that he was projecting his loss onto her, which was why he was so adamant about not being so rash. But it kind of irked her that he blatantly dismissed the possibility for her to actually want the guy as her ashikabi. She held in the desire to pout, and gave the most loving gaze she could manage.

"Matsu isn't being frivolous in choosing Naru-tan as my ashikabi. Matsu actually considered all the probable routes and outcomes, and came to the logical conclusion that Naru-tan is the best candidate to have as my ashikabi. And even if Matsu's body doesn't react to Naru-tan, there seems to be nothing wrong with going along with what the heart desires, right? Matsu knows for a fact that Matsu won't ever regret this choice. I really want you to be by your side, now and forever.." She closed her eyes and leaned closer to his face.

Naruto hesitated even as the girl sincerely revealed her feelings. As a person who'd been constantly rejected since his childhood, and saw exactly what happened to sekirei who couldn't get winged by her beloved, he really didn't want those around him to feel the same despair he and she went through. And the pain he would feel when his own sekirei longed for another and loathed his decision to wing her would probably cripple him emotionally.

**"Who cares about all that crap? Just make that female monkey yours and bang her to oblivion! It doesn't seem likely that she'd object." **

'Not now, Kurama.' The blond forcefully cut off the mental connection before the fox gave him a headache.

The bijuu gained a tickmark on his forehead. Ever since they'd arrived in this timeline, the brat had been thinking - and _brooding_ \- too much. It pissed the nine hells out of him. Especially when it meant that he would not be able to feel anything good for the first time in a few centuries.

**'Tch. He'd better thank me for this.'** Kurama grunted and forcefully linked his mind to the blond's, and took the control over his body for a second. He was ashamed to say that even that took a lot out of him, but the consequences would hopefully be worth it all.

Matsu was pleasantly surprised when her chin was roughly pulled up and his tongue entered her mouth for domination. She fervently responded by tangling her tongue against his, as she'd seen in some romance mangas do. Too distracted by the new sensation, she never saw his eyes turn blood red.

When Naruto regained the control of his body, he was somewhat surprised to know that there were no stench of blood or any killing intent around him, which usually was the case when the kyuubi took over. He was shocked even further when he found himself lip locked with the beauty in front of him and his tongue so thoroughly exploring her mouth. He absent mindedly noted that she had the lingering taste of the apples they had after breakfast.

He then shook himself out of stupor and pulled out of the kiss, and couldn't help but think that he was forgetting something.

"Hey...I may not be too knowledgeable in the Sekirei mechanisms, but shouldn't wings sprout from your back when you're winged?"

The glaze in her eyes were instantly washed away at the realization that he was indeed correct and that she had failed to notice it in the spur of the moment. "Y-yeah. According to the database, the Sekirei should be enveloped in a blinding light from the wings that emerge."

The duo stayed silent, though neither pulled out of the intimate position they were in.

"...Huh, whaddaya know? I guess I'm not an ashikabi after all." He smiled grimly at such an unexpected turnabout. It was so ironic how that every time he made a decision after brooding over it for a long time, the decision was wrenched out of his hands without fail.

"How can you of all people not be an ashikabi?" She flung her hands above her head in annoyance.

'Well actually, I can think of a few reasons on the top of my head right this instant.' The blond mused.

'Time skipping and the sekirei blood injection.' He wasn't sure what exactly the blood did, but seeing that sekirei couldn't just wing each other, he guessed that it could be a reason for the non-wingable situation. Or maybe he just never had the requirements of ashikabi in the first place, whatever they were. He wasn't of this era, after all.

"Matsu thought that if anyone were to be an ahikabi, it definitely would have been Naru-tan…" She hung her head. "Ugh. That's so unfair! I've been waiting so long for this!"

Hearing the redhead speaking in a frustrated tone actually made Naruto sorry for rejecting her after charging her up with false hope, even if he hadn't meant to.

"Now I have to look for other ashikabi if I want to conduct experiment regarding the sekirei-ashikabi bond!" She sulked.

"..." Naruto's eyes twitched. Just what was with Sekirei women and making him want to take back the things he said?

Matsu bounced back from her temporary depression and spoke again without prompting.

"Well, although it won't have any experimental value, Matsu doesn't mind garnering up experience for these kind of things. So what do you say?"

"No." He declined without even giving it a thought.

"Eehhhhhh? But whyyy? You enjoyed it just now, didn't you?"

"...Yes, but I didn't mean for it to happen! Shouldn't you keep these kind of things special for your ashikabi?" He sighed, knowing that he, for one, wouldn't mind in the slightest. He really should stop blurting out all these 'righteous' things before thinking it through.

"It's only sexual intercourse, Naru-tan. Sometimes, you're so pure that it's cute! But you should know that not all ashikabi have good characters, and I may not even meet my destined ashikabi with the way I'm stuck here all the time. Not to mention…" She pursed her lips before finishing the sentence.

"Not to mention what?"

"Nothing, nothing." Her face flushed as she fervently waved her hands.

Naruto raised a brow the sudden halt she made in the midst of her vehement argument. It seemed as though she had as many internal problems as he did, as her actions were somewhat contradictory.

"Just think about it, ok?" She fiddled with her sleeves, looking at the floor.

The blond stared at her for a while, and finally answered, "Okay." She actually seemed sincere this time, and shy for some reason. Matsu, the woman who had been laughing at him because he said that sexual intercourse should be kept special, was acting_ shy_. He really wanted to ask about the sudden change in attitude, but he refrained and left through the door, seeing that she was unlikely to tell him.

Matsu glanced upwards at the door when it closed behind the shinobi. "Damn it, Naru-kun, no matter how easygoing I seem, you really shouldn't force a girl to confess her feelings in such conditions…" She whispered under her breath. "Jeez, only if he used that brain of his to see how much I really like him…"

* * *

The place Naruto went to was none other than the backyard of the house. Its similarity to a training ground somewhat calmed him and allowed him to think. He plopped down on the ground and sighed.

"Is something the matter?"

Naruto turned and saw Miya walking towards him with a large pile of blankets on her arms.

"...No." He replied and stood up again. "Nothing's the matter."

The lavenderette neared the man and scrutinized him. "You've been doing something indescent again, haven't you." She frowned.

"Again? When have I ever?" He grinned tiredly. It was true for the most part, at least until Matsu came onto him, but she didn't need to know about that.

Miya wasn't quite sure if he was playing around again or being serious, but decided that it didn't matter either way, and gave him a deadpan stare. He would simply be the worst if he didn't know what kind of effects his actions had on the residents of the inn.

Actually, scratch that. It would be even worse if he knew what he was doing and abused it.

Naruto, on the other hand, seriously couldn't think of any instances he acted so indecent that it made Miya behave in such a manner towards him. So when her deadpanning gaze didn't leave him to show that she was being serious, it really confused him good.

Miya sighed deeply. "Never mind." She put the blankets on the wooden platforms near them and grabbed a small piece of paper from her obi. "Just take this and go shopping for food." She passed the note to him. It contained a long list of ingredients, half of which he didn't even know what they were.

"Is there a flower shop in the market?" He suddenly inquired after peering into the paper.

"No, of course not." The Sekirei furrowed her brows as she replied. "Why, is it some new ploy of yours to woo more women?"

"...You really aren't going to let it go, are you." He exhaled deeply with a bit of frustration mixed into it, though he couldn't really retort because of a happening with a certain redhead. "I was only asking because there was a flower written on the list."

She blinked. "I didn't write any flowers on the list."

"Sure you did!" He exclaimed as he thrusted the paper in front of her face and pointed at a certain word. "See? Cauliflower."

Looking at the blond who seemed so proud of himself for proving her wrong, Miya couldn't stop herself from breaking off her stern look and letting out a giggle into her hands.

The blond's puffed up chest deflated from the reaction he hadn't been expecting. "Why are you laughing? I didn't say anything funny." He crinkled his nose in part confusion and part annoyance.

Miya's giggling turned into a full blown laughter at that, which dismayed Naruto even more. "Ahahahaha! Cau-cauliflower isn't..hahaha...it isn't a flower, Naruto-kun!"

"Sure it is. See? Cauli-_flower_. It can't be anything but a flower."

"Oh, Naruto-kun..." she wiped a tear from her eye, "Take Uzume to the market with you and have her help you find the ingredients on the list. It seems like you'll need to take all the help you could get." She giggled again, her previous distaste completely forgotten at the sight of him unknowingly embarrassing himself. She absolutely couldn't wait to see his face when he returned from the short trip.

"...I know how to find my way through a market...I've been there plenty of times." He grumbled under his breath, loud enough for Miya to hear.

"Of course you do, dear." Her eyes drew a pleasant crescent shape as she covered her lips with her sleeve, which he supposed was hiding her smirk.

Naruto just grunted and turned away from her to look for Uzume.

* * *

"Why can't people just stay in their rooms? It would make my life so much easier if I didn't need to walk all over the place to find a person." The blond sighed.

"It's because people have things to do aside from staying cooped up in their rooms." A man walked towards him, amused.

"Gee, I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me." He sarcastically spat out.

"Woah, I wasn't making fun of you. No need to get mad." Kagari slightly raised his hands in a surrendering pose.

Naruto looked at him and sighed, raking his hair back with his hand. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Just a bit...irritated by the way the events are unraveling. I should just ditch her and go by myself."

"You're looking for Uzume, right?" When Naruto gave an affirmative nod, Kagari continued. "I think I saw her heading for the bathroom a while ago. She's probably still in there, actually. If it's urgent, you might want to wait in the living room."

"In the bathroom, you say?" A smirk found its way up his lips. Miya's constant nagging about his perverseness, which he never unleashed, had been bothering him greatly. If Miya wanted beastly urges, he would give her beastly urges to whine about. "Hey Kagari, you wanna see something good?"

The male Sekirei cocked his head at the sudden turn of the older man's mood. "Umm...I guess it depends on what it is. Is it something inappropriate?"

"Oh no. It's very appropriate for young men like us. Just stay right behind me, kay?" He was making the most evil laugh he could in his head. As a punishment for not being in her room, he'd give her the classic 'walking in on a bathing girl' prank. Her embarrassment would double with the presence of Kagari as well!

The duo walked along the hallway and towards the only bathroom in the inn.

"Uh, Naruto? We walked past the stairs..." The silver haired man bemusedly spoke, wondering if something was wrong.

"Yeah, but the thing I want to show you isn't downstairs." He stopped in front of a door and grabbed the sleeve of Kagari's shirt with one hand, while grabbing the sliding door with the other.

"The best way to form a bond between men is to take a bath together!" Naruto suddenly claimed in a loud voice as he opened the door and stepped in the bathroom.

"Wha-?" Before Kagari could make any response, he was already in the middle of the bathroom, courtesy of Naruto's hand still on his sleeve. But what the blond said as they entered wasn't of much importance, as a fully naked woman was in the tub right in front of him.

"Oh hey, Uzume. What impeccable timing you have. We were just about to harden our manly bonds over a bath. Wanna join us?" Naruto grinned in a way that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame.

The brunette stood up hastily and pointed her index finger at the shinobi. "You...you pervert! At least have the decency to turn around when a woman is naked!"

"S-sorry!" Kagari stammered as he quickly turned his back on the woman and tried to leave, only to find himself held back by Naruto's hand again.

"Now, now. Is that any way to treat people who invited you to a nice bath?" He lazily smiled. "And you're the one who's doing the flashing here. I'm only enjoying the things that are given to me. Ain't that right, Kagari?" The younger man didn't reply, simply wanting to escape from this uncomfortable situation.

Uzume hurriedly plopped down to her tub and crossed her arms over her breasts, as no towel was within her reach at the moment, and glared at the blond man.

"Oh, sorry. You wanted to see my naked body that badly? All you had to do was ask, and I would've complied without a complaint." Being trained as a ninja also meant that he was desensitized to the nudity of the opposite gender, as well as the exposure of his own. So if it meant that he could fluster others, he wouldn't even blink an eye as he took his pants off. With the exception of Matsu, of course. That girl was just...it was best not to stimulate her in any way.

Uzume's face turned beet red as his hands reached for the double-layered belt over his disciplinary squad uniform. "N-no! I don't want to see your d-dick!"

"Hmm? Then why is it that you're staring so intently at it?" He smirked. "Hey Kagari, she's staring at my junk, right?"

"Ye...no! I didn't see anything! Can I go now?" He tugged on his sleeve, though it didn't budge in the slightest.

"Yes! You should both get out right now, and let me take my bath in peace!" She cried.

"Tch. You both are so dull, I swear Miya's been rubbing off on you." He crinkled his nose but walked to the door, with Kagari in tow.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He turned to face the naked woman once more. "Miya told me to tell you that we have to go shopping for food in…one hour, or else she's gonna give us a spanking." He flippantly said. "Since I don't want that to happen, I'm gonna drag you out of the house in five minutes, whether you're fully dressed or not."

Uzume gaped at him. Kagari didn't even bother turning to face him now, opting to stare longingly at the door that was so close yet so far.

"You can't do that!" She shrieked.

"Well, if you don't believe me, then you can stay here all you want. It'll just mean that the neighborhood will get a nice little show." He smirked and raised his wrist to look at his nonexistent watch. "Anyway, I'll see you in five...no, _four and a half_ minutes." He cackled as he opened the door, intent on preparing certain items just in case she failed to come out in time.

"Umm...can you let go of my sleeve now?"

Naruto turned to see the silver haired man pulling on his own sleeve to escape from his grasp. He had completely forgotten about him, as he had gotten used to subduing the constant struggle.

"Oops, sorry there." He let the poor boy go instantly. "Anyway, what did you think?"

Kagari scowled. "I thought that Miya was joking when she told you to keep in your beastly urges. Obviously, I was wrong."

"Woah, I'm no pervert! I was only messing with her! I mean, isn't it funny to see her face change from pure anger to embarrassment to horror?"

"…So you're a pervert and a sadist to boot…You're just as bad as Matsu." He backed away. "I'm…going to work. Bye!" He disappeared in an impressive speed, despite not having run.

"Aaaaand there goes my chance of making the only male friend in a den of females…" Naruto sulked. "Who knew he'd be such a sissy about it?"

**"****Yeah. He was even more of a dickless wimp than you, and that's saying something."** Kurama snarked.

'Hey, don't bring my dick into this!' He indignantly protested.

"Hah. The only reason you didn't inherit the small girth from your father is because you kept feeding on my chakra like a leech. Now be grateful and go woo some women!"

'Why does it always go back to having sex for you?' He rolled his eyes. 'Wait...you know who my father is?'

"Do I...of course I know who that damnable swine is! That toad-shit fucking sealed me here!"

'Sealed...' He furrowed his brows in thought. "You mean the fourth hokage is my father?!" He shouted out loud, horrified by the revelation.

**"Isn't the blinding blond hair and the dumb blue eyes a dead giveaway? And I thought he couldn't get dumber..." **Kurama rolled his eyes.

Naruto didn't seem to hear the insult, as he was busy mumbling to himself. "The hokage...why...how..?"

The young man clicked his mouth shut and stayed silent for a minute, pondering what this meant for him. Then he suddenly broke out laughing hysterically. "Oh man, I can't believe that I thought of him as the noblest hero out there, when he was no better than Gaara's father!"

His laughter died out into pained chuckles. "Ahaha...does that mean I'm an unwanted child? Or did I kill my mother at birth like Gaara did? Is that why he hated me enough to stuff a frickin bijuu in my stomach?"

**"Actually, your mother did die a few minutes after you were born."** Kurama quipped, conveniently leaving out the fact that he was the one who shoved a claw through her abdomen. While he didn't quite despise the boy anymore, it was good fun to watch him writhe in agony. As long as he wasn't being too mopey or wimpy for a lengthy amount of time, it was nice to sit back and watch the once happy-go-lucky kid face the shitty reality of the world.

The blond grimaced and sighed, knowing that his dream of his parents loving him and watching over him shattered into pieces. But still, the yondaime was despicable for making his own baby a human sacrifice for reasons out of his control.

As he was silently raging, Uzume tumbled down the stairs, with her hair still dripping with water. "I...hah...am down...haah...in time...huff...right?" She collected her breath in front of the blond shinobi.

"Yondaime..." He muttered.

"...Huh?"

Naruto blinked. "...Nothing. Let's go, Uzume."

Surprised by his subdued tone, the brunette only nodded and left the house after him.

'Oy, fox. How come you didn't tell me anything if you knew this all along?' Naruto asked as he put his body on autopilot as he concentrated in conversing with the bijuu.

**"Other than the fact that he was a shitty monkey that sealed me into you, I didn't think of it as anything of importance. Not to mention that speaking about that smug little shit pisses me off." **

Naruto snorted. 'Ironic how a single monkey has bested you, eh?'

**"Hah! You think he was the only one out there? He was barely able to subdue me after I annihilated hundreds of the humans that tried to scratch me." **He boomed in annoyance.** "And I'm not the one stuck in the shinigami's stomach, am I. In the end, I'm the one who gets the last laugh! Hahahaha!" **

'...You done?' The blond asked, amused at the fox's futile attempts to protect his ego.

**"...I still have a long list of things to say, but I'll leave it at that."** He huffed.

'Of course you do.' He rolled his eyes, but didn't bother antagonizing Kurama any more than that.

'Hey, fox?' Barely a few seconds passed when he called upon the bijuu again. 'Was my fa...the fourth hokage really kind like the stories say?'

Kurama stirred and growled lowly at the unwanted continuation of the conversation. **"Does it look like I was buddy buddy with him, ya monkey? If I could, I'd rip his face off just for the sake of it. Then scrunch up his puny body and maul it until it's no longer recognizable. And then I'd gnash his corpse away and spit it back out." **

'...So was he kind?' He asked again.

The beast groaned as he resisted the urge to palm his face. **"No, he was a psychotic human that ate kids for breakfast and had orgasms at the sight of pitifully dying humans." **He sarcastically spat out. **"Does it look like I care? Why the hell don't you ask someone who actually knew him for more than an hour, and doesn't hate his fucking guts?" **

'Well, they're all dead, as far as I know. You're probably the only one left that even knows of his existence.' He said, a bit dejectedly. 'Is it so wrong to want to know why he did..._this_ to me?'

**"****Pfft. As if I give a damn. Bang a few girls and make me happy, and maybe I'll think about the possibility of sharing some information with you. But before then, don't even bother even asking anything related to that filthy monkey or his mate."**

* * *

On the contrary to what Uzume had thought, their short trip was completely void of pranks or scathing remarks. He was so completely out of it that she couldn't help but glance his way and wonder what had happened to the man in the five minutes she was away.

He even walked past the market that she had to hold onto his sleeve and drag him through the entire shopping process after she snatched the shopping list from him.

His unresponsive state made her work twice as hard as when she came shopping alone, making her wonder if this was a whole new prank he came up with to bother her.

"Can you at least take the load off me?" She huffed, irritated that she had to do so much work because of him.

"…" The shinobi continued staring blankly at the space in front of him.

The brunette stopped in her tracks and pulled the man to a halt as well. Then she proceeded to slide all the plastic bags on her arms onto Naruto's wrists. She smirked when he didn't protest in the slightest, though it also looked like he still seemed to be out of it. Shrugging, she decided that it didn't really matter and pushed him to start moving again.

The duo didn't get too far until a group of thugs blocked their way.

"Hey babe, why don't ya ditch the wimpy guy and come with us?" Thug1 smiled in a greasy way that he thought was charming.

"We can treat you reeeal nice~" Thug2 licked his lips as he approached the duo.

Uzume scrunched her face up in disgust. "Buzz off, losers. I've got a dinner to go to."

"C'mon, girly. Come over before I get real mad." Thug1 frowned.

The brunette rolled her eyes. As if such a pitiful being could threaten her. "If you want, just take the blond guy. Just leave me alone." She pushed Naruto forward.

"Stop joking with us, girl. As if we would have need for a male." Thug1 scowled.

"If you don't want to get hurt, follow us quietly." Thug2 took out a kitchen knife and brandished it in a threatening manner.

"Yeah, yeah. Do whatever you want. I'm going home." She brushed them off and leisurely walked past the two thugs.

"Why that little bitch...!" Thug1 growled and swung his knife at her back, which she nimbly sidestepped without even looking back. After taking a second to reel back from the shock, Thug1 scowled and attempted to slash her again. But with trained ease, Uzume cartwheeled away, leaving the man to fume in his failure.

"Don't just stand there! Get her!" Thug1 screamed at Thug2.

Thug2 grunted in acknowledgement as he flipped his knife into a reverse grip and ran towards the girl, only to be hit by a solid roundhouse kick on the face. He staggered back and cursed. "Fucking bitch! I'm gonna fuckin kill you!" Thug2 pulled out another knife and dashed at her once again.

Uzume jumped high up into the air and stepped on Thug2's head and lightly landed on the floor. She then exaggeratedly yawned. "If that's all you wimps got, I'm going back home. You're seriously not even worth a warm up." She turned and began walking towards the inn.

"Aaaarrgghhh!" Thug1 screamed and sprinted in her direction with his knife held up high. Thinking it to be another frontal attack, Uzume kept walking and waited until the last second to do a turning kick aimed at his shoulder. But instead of the body that should have been in front of her, the knife he'd been holding flew at her back, now only two inches in front of her stretched foot.

Before she was able to react, or even grit her teeth to endure the incoming pain, the flying knife shattered with a loud clang. Bewildered, all three heads followed the source of the sudden attack, and found a blond standing there with multiple grocery bags on his arms.

"Ummm...could someone tell me why my tanto is all the way there?" Naruto blinked, confusion clearly written on his face.

The trio of people sweat dropped.

"You threw it. How else would it het there?" Uzume rolled her eyes, though she was silently relieved that she didn't have to spend weeks not being able to walk properly.

"I know _that_. I was asking _why_ I threw it." He sighed exasperatedly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How the hell am I supposed to know that, you idiotic blond?! You were unresponsive the entire way here! Do you know how tiring it was to drag you around all over the place?"

"You're getting off topic! And you should be honored to have the privilege of escorting someone like me for such a long time!" Naruto shouted back.

The two thugs watched the random shouting match with a bit of irritation of being completely pushed to the sidelines.

"Dude, should we scram while those two aren't looking at us?" Thug1 whispered.

"Like bitches running away with tails between their legs? As if I'd do such a thing. I'm getting that bitch for kicking my face." Thug2 growled.

Thug1 groaned, knowing that they were completely outclassed - the blond guy even had a weapon! Companion or not, he was getting the hell outta there.

"Shouldn't you be thanking me for saving your life?" Naruto shouted a few steps away from the two thugs.

"My life? Puh-lease, I was doing just fine without you this whole time." She snorted. "You make a lucky shot with your little knife and you suddenly want a thank you from me?"

Thug2 held out both his knives and stepped into the view of the fighting duo with a perfect scowl on his face, but neither seemed to notice.

"It's called a _tanto_, and it's so much better than knives! Those things aren't even proper weapons! And you know as well as I do that I saved you from a world of pain!"

"You mean like how you successfully aided me in shopping for food? I'm sorry, but that's called taking care of things with my own hands!"

"Stop ignoring me!" Thug2 roared and ran at the duo, intent on stabbing the brunette in the abdomen.

Naruto didn't even spare a glance at him. "I wasn't aiding you. I was merely accompanying you. It's what I like to call 'push all your work to the girl that likes flashing people'."

Uzume growled as she punched the incoming thug on the nose. "So it _was_ intentional. You sly bastard."

"I'm sorry, but do you know the proper definition of 'bastard'? Because I don't quite fit in that category." He kicked the thug when he was getting back up with a hand covering his bloody nose, causing him to fly back a few feet. "Bastard, by definition, means a person born out of wedlock. My parents were happily married when they conceived me, you see."

Or so he assumed, anyways. But he didn't need to mention his uncertainty nor the fact that he was given away as a sacrifice to the village only a few minutes after he was born. He let a bit of bitterness seep out to his smile before he quickly replaced it with a cocky smirk.

Uzume's eye twitched in annoyance as she held back all the derogatory things she wanted to say. He would somehow find a way to turn all those things back at her, just as easily as he weaved around her physical attacks.

"Aww, you're not speaking anymore? Too dazzled by my intelligence?" He sniggered.

The brunette gagged to show her disgust. "I'm going home, so stop bothering me." She turned her head and ran down the street.

Naruto considered chasing after her just for the sake of it, but decided against it. He probably annoyed her enough for one day; it was pretty fun, but he knew better than to go overboard. Even if it was to serve as a distraction from his turbulent thoughts.

"Damn...Now I'm all alone again..." His grin slid off his face as he sighed. Then he roughly shook his head to clear himself of any thoughts and began walking back towards the inn, keeping his face blank throughout the entire trip.

* * *

"Yo, I'm back."

Miya glanced in his direction before she returned to chopping something. "You sure took your sweet time. I would have gotten mad if you'd been a minute later."

"Good thing I'm here now, then." He flashed a lopsided grin at her.

"Just leave the bag by the counter and get going."

The blond dropped the bags on the floor, but didn't move from his spot. Instead, he stared intently at the cooking woman with a constipated look on his face.

Miya ignored the uncomfortable feeling of her senses going haywire at his stare, before she finally gave in and turned her heels to face the culprit.

"Why, exactly, are you boring holes in the back of my head? If it was my behind you were ogling, I would have had free reign to bash your skull into the floor, but you're not even doing that. . ?" She growled, punctuating each word as she spoke.

"Well, I've been thinking..." He drawled to get himself a few precious seconds to think how he was going to phrase this. "You've been loved, right?"

She raised her eyebrow at the random question, but decided to humor him. "Of course that goes without saying."

"And you loved, too, right?"

She wiped her hands on her apron as she spoke again. "I wouldn't have married..._him_, if I didn't love him, would I." She deadpanned. "What are you getting at?"

Naruto squirmed uncomfortably before finally speaking his mind. "Umm...hypothetically speaking, if you had a child with him, and he somehow died because something went wrong during the birthing progress, would you hate your child? Enough to disown him and make him suffer in the cruel world by himself?"

"...What?"

"Just a hypothetical question! I was just...curious."

Miya stared at him skeptically. "You didn't impregnate anyone, did you?"

He gaped. "No! Of course not! And I don't plan on doing so in the near future! Just answer the damn question!"

"Hm...I wouldn't know how giving birth could kill a man, but I wouldn't hate a baby for it. Instead, I would probably shower him or her with enough love to compensate for the lack of a father." She blushed at the thought of having a child to spoil, though it soon disappeared when she remembered that Naruto was in front of her.

To her surprise, he didn't have a teasing smile on his face, or even just a warm smile. Instead, he seemed somewhat somber and contemplative.

"Yeah...that's what I thought, too." He whispered under his breath.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Nothing important. Just wanted to confirm something." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "See ya at dinner."

"Naruto-kun!" She stopped him short with a somewhat desperate shout, though she didn't understand where such an emotion came from. "Are you...alright?"

The blond slowly raised the tips of his lips and formed a lazy grin on his face. "Course I am. I'm the amazing Uzumaki Naruto, aren't I? No need to worry your pretty little ass, Miya-chan."

"Would you like to repeat that?" She smiled menacingly with a rather large knife on her hand.

"I'll see you at dinner." He quickly left the kitchen and headed straight for the second floor.

A while ago, he'd read that close contact with the opposite gender could soothe a person's tormented mind. He needed soothing, and Matsu always offered her body to him. It was a perfect, foolproof solution.

Naruto pushed open the hidden door, and was about to call out to the redhead, when he heard moans coming from deep inside the room.

The many screens that usually lit up the room were now turned off, save for one specific screen on the bottom, which was playing a rather..._fleshy_ video. And of course, in front of it, was a girl fingering herself.

"Ahem." Naruto cleared his throat, taking care to keep some distance from the woman.

Her body froze completely for a second, before she stiffly turned her head to meet the blond's eyes. Then she awkwardly smiled as she pulled out her finger as discreetly as possible - and failed, this was a shinobi she was dealing with - and hid the said sticky finger behind her back.

I...ummm...I didn't think you'd come to see me so quickly…" The redhead mumbled with a blush on her cheeks.

"Obviously." Naruto snorted. At least she seemed to know that this was an embarrassing situation. He was really beginning to think that she had no modesty at all, with the way she always threw herself onto him.

"You know, you completely outdid yourself and ruined the angsty mood I set up for myself." He chuckled weakly. "I was thinking of taking advantage of your offer and occupy my mind by participating in carnal activities, but you threw _that_ out of the window."

Matsu blinked multiple times as she tried to make sense of the situation - and failed. "What?"

"Mm. Nothing you need to concern yourself with. You shocked me enough for me to clear my head. It was stupid of me to even think of taking advantage of women in such a selfish manner, even if the recipient was you." He crossed his arms and nodded sagely to himself.

"Hey! What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Naruto cracked an eye open and looked down at her form. "It means that I no longer need comfort sex. All thanks to you."

"Wha...WHAT?! You're going to accept my proposal?"

"_Were_. You helped me see the light of things. You really are a good person, even if you don't intend to be one." He crinkled his eyes to form a smile.

"No! You weren't wrong! You have much trouble on your mind and you need my help to get better!" She scrambled up to him and insisted.

"Matsu…" The blond sighed. "The mood's gone. Better luck next time."

"But...but..."

"See ya." He left without even looking back.

"Haah..." Matsu slid down to the floor and hit her forehead with her palm repetitively. "Baka." Slap. "Baka." Slap. "How could I waste such a chance...Damn porn." Slap.

"I should get rid of this all. This isn't worth missing out on sex with Naru-tan." The redhead crawled to her main computer and typed several codes to direct her to her 200-terabyte porn video folder.

"All I need to do is press enter..." Her finger hovered over the keyboard, shaking. "I can do this...I can do this..."

She slumped and banged her head on the keyboard. "Who am I kidding. I can't do this. I've been adding onto this baby since I first came here. I even have several super ultra rare clips that's been erased five minutes after it was released! Even _I_ can't find these babies easily."

The room stayed silent for a few seconds.

"It's not like Naru-kun will change his mind if I delete everything. And I need to satisfy myself until he agrees to relieve me. This is perfectly logical, and I'm making the right choice." She nodded to herself.

The door suddenly opened again. "Oi Matsu! Miya's asking if you'll be skipping dinner again."

"Gaahh!" Matsu jumped a bit from her seat and turned to face the intruder. "What...are you doing here, Naru-tan?" She fumbled with her hands behind her back as she searched for the power off button. She failed to, for some bizarre reason.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "I just told you. Miya's asking if you'll be having dinner."

"Umm...yes. Yes, I'll be having dinner. So please go tell Miya that." She nervously smiled.

"You okay? You look somewhat pale." Naruto approached her to take a closer look of her face.

The redhead inched back a little, trying to hide the screen from the man's view. She really didn't want him to see her abnormally large folder. He wouldn't live it down for ages. That, she was sure of.

Naruto yanked her hand forward and squeezed it. "Matsu! Your hand is cold! You're obviously not okay." He frowned. "We're going down to Miya and ask what's wrong with you. Now."

Matsu yanked her hand back from his grasp and vigorously shook her head. As soon as she left her spot, Naruto would be able to see the screen. She would not allow that. Just...no.

"I'm perfectly fine. I'll just regain my warmth from my keyboard, like this." She dropped her hand on the keyboard just to prove it to him.

"Well...if you insist." Naruto conceded and backed away, before pausing once again. "Hey, Matsu?"

"Hm?"

"Something seems to be wrong with your computer..."

"Ahaha...you must be seeing things. My computer is perfectly fine."

"Noo, I'm pretty sure that something's wrong. It has big red letters saying 'deleted'."

Matsu was about to wave him away when she finally realized what he was saying, and whipped around to look at her screen. And as though it were taunting her for being wrong, the big letters flashed some more before disappearing.

"No..." She stared at the screen. "NOOOOOOOOOO! My porn! My precious!" She collapsed onto her knees and felt tears welling up in her tear ducts. "Mommy's sorry. Please come back..." She sobbed as she tried reviving the contents with all the combinations of codes she thought was related to this case. But alas, the command she had inputted did too good of a job in terminating the files, and was unable to be reversed.

Damn her and her awesomeness that gets everything done perfectly.

Back to Naruto, when it became quite obvious that she would be incapable of recovering from her sorrow any time soon, he just quietly left the room.

Then he cackled. Loudly.

Mission complete: Delete Matsu's secret porn stash

Rewards: Icha Icha Tactics  
Exp Gained: 300 exp

"Hah? The mystery reward is the Icha Icha? How pointless..." He sighed. "Oh well, I'll just have to hold onto it until I can use it as a bribe material for a pervert or something."

* * *

**_A/N: Yeah, not really the best chapter, but I promise it'll get better. Starting from the next chapter will be the start of the main story line - hopefully no more filler arcs for a while. _**

**_And about Naruto not being an Ashikabi...do you people really think I'll let him stay that way? Puh-lease. That practically takes away half the point of the whole Sekirei thing, so I'm not going to be that mean. He'll have to earn it, though. _**

**_ My usual goal for a chapter is approximately 10k, but I've sorta hit a block (the lack of free time wasn't being helpful, either), and I was only able to write a little under 7k. So in compensation, I whipped up an Omake that's been floating around in my head for a while. Hope you enjoy it? _**

* * *

**Omake:**

"Wake up, Naruto-kun!" Someone shook him awake.

"Nngh..." He wearily opened his eyes to see a nice pair of boobs in front of his face. That in itself wouldn't have been an anomaly, but the size of those breasts were somewhat unfamiliar, a bit smaller than the usual ones he saw close up. He fully opened his eyes and moved up his gaze to look at the woman's face.

"...!" His dreariness vanished in an instant. "Wha...what are you doing on my bed, Miya?!"

"I was calling you to breakfast for quite a while now, but you never came down." She smiled softly and slid off his bed. "Seeing you sleep in is quite a novelty, but shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Before he could properly form an answer, a transparent screen appeared in front of him.

1) "I'll get up if you let me feel you up."  
2) Squeeze her boobs.

Naruto rubbed his eyes to see if he was hallucinating, but the choices stayed unchanged. 'Is the game system malfunctioning…?'

He ignored the screen and tried to smile and tell her that he'd be down in just a moment. But then his body got completely paralyzed, making him unable to move a muscle. 'What's...happening? Did someone...poison me?' He glanced back at the woman standing by his bed, and saw that she was patiently waiting for him to give his reply.

'Kurama! What's happening?' He inwardly shouted to his tenant. But instead of the booming voice that he had gotten used to in the past few years, only silence greeted him. He tried calling a few more times, and even went as far as to enter his mindscape, but found that he was unable to do so.

Panicking, Naruto shot his chakra throughout his entire body, and found his every tenketsu point shocked with something akin to electricity. He wanted to scream or lurch his body, but his body remained unmoving.

A female metalic voice ringed in his head. *Please make a choice*

1) "I'll get up if you let me feel you up."  
2) Squeeze her boobs.

The blond knew that he would end up half dead either way, so he decided to choose the second one. Avoiding Miya's wrath wasn't the priority at the moment. Her boobs...err...his need to find out about this peculiar situation demanded him to choose it.

When he decided on the number, his body was no longer paralyzed, but his hands went straight to Miya's breasts without his prompting to do so.

Caught completely off guard, Miya couldn't react to this for two seconds. Two seconds which Naruto's hands thoroughly fondled her breasts.

When her brain finally caught up with what was happening, Miya grabbed both his hands with her left hand with enough power to crush a normal person's wrists into pieces. Her face had a smile which was nearly spasming out of control and her pupils were no longer humans. It was almost scarier than kyuubi when Naruto first met him.

"I should just cut of those fucking hands of yours so you wouldn't be able to do anything like this again." She slid out her katana and eyed his wrists.

Not finding a hint of hesitation or lie in her statement, Naruto felt the need to escape and hide from the woman for at least a week. She probably wouldn't stop from cutting his hands off, but would most likely castrate him as well. There was no way in hell he was going to allow such thing to happen _before_ he was able to use his junk...or ever, actually.

He quickly flooded the room with seal-less clones, freed his hands from her grip, and ran the hell out of his room.

"So that was what boobs feel like..." He stared at his palms. "No wonder ero-sennin loved them so much." He walked down the road in a dazed state. "Err...I mean, I'd better avoid her for a while. Who knows when this thing would act up on her again?"

He shook his head and walked into the streets he'd gotten familiar with in the last few years.

"Uzumaki-san! What a coincidence to meet you here." A silver haired woman greeted him with a formal smile.

"Takami? What are you doing in this district?"

"Nothing much. I just needed to visit a friend that lives around here." She replied in a clipped tone.

Suddenly, another transparent screen came up in front of him.

1) Ask her out for a lunch at the ramen stand

2) "Please have my children!"

"Ngh!" His body froze once again. But this one was seriously a no-brainer. There was no way in hell he was saying that to Takami. And he already knew that she had children, so it probably meant that she was married. Not that he would hit on her if she weren't.

Now that he made the decision, his mouth moved on its own.

"Hey, Takami. If you didn't have lunch yet, can I take you to a very good ramen stand?"

"Huh? Well, I didn't have any, but why the sudden invitation?"

"Mm. I dunno. Courtesy, maybe?" He tilted his head.

"I see…well, lead the way, then." She gestured for him to move.

"Hai, hai." He snickered and walked in a comfortable silence. For some reason, the walk to the ramen stand took much shorter than it usually would take. But he didn't consider it too important and passed it off as a weird quirk of the game.

"Yo, Zana-chan! Two miso for me!" He ordered as he entered the stall.

"Ah, welcome back, Naruto-kun. Two miso coming up straight away!" She replied in a chirpy tone.

The black haired woman entered quickly behind him. "So you come here often?"

"Yup! I make sure to come here at least three times a week, as long as I'm not caught up in something." He smiled as he offered her a stool next to him.

"I see…I'll take the seafood one, then."

"Zana-chan! One seafood please!"

…

"Here you go, two miso and one seafood." The waitress laid down the bowls in front of Naruto.

"Ah, this one's for Takami here." Naruto sheepishly spoke and passed the bowl to the woman sitting next to him.

"Hm? Who's this lady friend you have here?"

The blond was about to answer that she was a colleague of his, when a screen popped up once again.

1) "She's my beautiful waifu~!"

2) "She's the woman that's going to bare my children!"

3) Shove your head in the ramen bowl and intake half of it with your nose

'WTF?!' He cried out in his mind as his body was fully paralyzed again. 'A third choice came up, but it doesn't seem any better than the other two!'

Just like the previous choices, all of them made him look like a crazy fool or a super pervert, neither of which he was. Still, since he was forced to choose, there was one choice with the least repercussion…

He mentally made the decision.

"She's my beautiful waifu~" His hands clasped together in front of his chest and his eyes were sparkling. To make things worse, he was gushing over her like Kazehana gushed over her sake, Matsu over her porn, and fangirls over Sasuke. Basically put, it was utterly humiliating.

Zana's jaw dropped, and Takami's tightened.

Naruto quickly shook off the dopey look on his face and put on his winning smile.

"Just joking! I'm still free 'n single!" He chuckled. "Did I scare ya?"

"Well, um, _yes_." Zana exclaimed. "That was mean of you, Naruto-kun."

"I…need to go punch something, so I'm afraid I can't finish the lunch, Uzumaki-san." And like that, Takami left. His actions reminded her too much of that bastard Minaka, which in turn reminded her how much work he dumped onto her just for his entertainment. She grated her teeth as she headed back to the MBI building to meet her boss, and hopefully push him off the building. It would save so much trouble in the future.

"Umm…was my joke that bad?" Naruto timidly asked Zana after he watched Takami's form leaving the stall.

"I don't think so?" She also seemed a bit confused, but got back to minding the noodles she was cooking. "Maybe it was a sensitive subject for her?"

The blond sighed.

He really must have annoyed some deity up there, or they just found immense amusement in his life and decided to make it their toy.

No matter how many times he trumped the so-called fate in important moments, at times like this, he really was the fate's chew toy.

* * *

**On the Next Chapter:**

_"Naruto-kun! It's good to see you again after all this time!" _

_"Hmph. Too bad I can't say the same for you." Naruto snorted. "So what do you want from me?"_

_"Going straight to the point, I see. I'll cut the dilly-dally, then." The man grinned as he adjusted the angles of his glasses. "I am in need of your assistance - a favor, if you will." _

_"Yeah, about that...no." _


End file.
